do pga tour pros have handicaps

Do Professional Golfers Have Handicaps And What's The Lowest Amateur Handicap Ever?

Do professional golfers ever keep a handicap? Are they required to? And what's been the lowest ever handicap in the amateur game?

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The handicap system is absolutely fundamental to the amateur game. It allows players of any sex, age and abillity to compete against one another on a level playing field. The World Handicap System uses an average calculation method to provide an accurate representation of an amateur golfer’s current aptitude and performance level.

The theory everything is predicated on is that a player with a 36 handicap should have an equal chance to win a Stableford competition as a player with a handicap of scratch. Without the handicap system in amateur golf, the vast majority of participants would have no way to compete in a fair and equitable way and the game would be far less appealing. That said, some low-handicap golfers do feel strongly that the WHS gives them less chance of winning competitions . 

But Do Professionals Have Handicaps?

Paul Casey is a member at Whisper Rock in Arizona

In professional golf, there is no handicap system. Professionals compete against one another flat and no shots are given. The best gross score wins either after 72 or 54-holes of stroke play , or on individual holes in match play .

Some pro golfers keep a handicap for interest or at their home club to give an idea of how many shots they should give amateur friends in fun matches, but those handicaps are not considered official. They're just an interesting guide and something for us mere mortals to be gobsmacked by. 

Players like Paul Casey and Martin Kaymer have kept handicaps at Whisper Rock in Arizona, where they regularly play, and the European duo have been as low as between +6 and +7 there.

How Low Have Some Amateur Handicaps Been?

Christiaan Maas plays at the University of Texas

The players on the PGA Tour are the best of the best. They are a couple of competitive levels above the elite amateurs, who can have seriously low handicaps. For example, Gordon Sargent, who was the world's number-one amateur ahead of the Ryder Cup, plays off 5.5. Conor Graham, the second-youngest player to represent Team GB&I at 17, is off 5.3.

At the 2023 Amateur Championship, four players had handicaps of +7 or better, led by South African Christiaan Maas, who was off +8.

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In the female game, Ladies European Tour player Esther Henseleit had the lowest recorded handicap in Europe before turning professional in 2019. The German's number was a remarkable +7.1

So, what did some stars of the pro game play off before they gave up their amateur status? Well, Tiger Woods was off a remarkable +8 when he turned pro. Sergio Garcia was a couple of shots worse off at +5.8, Phil Mickelson and Shaun Micheel were reportedly at +6, Jim Furyk and Ben Curtis purportedly played off +7 when they left the unpaid ranks and Jack Nicklaus was off +3. Rory McIlroy was another one in the +6 club when he turned pro, too. Unbelievably, Ian Poulter turned professional with a handicap of 4. 

What Handicap Would PGA Tour Players Be?

Have you ever wondered what the USGA index would be for a PGA Tour pro if they posted scores like we do?Yeah, me too. Shot out to my buddy Clay Ballard (@TopSpeedGolf) for the idea. Index of avg tour pro:▶️ +5.4Best index achieved:▶️ Fowler +8.4 pic.twitter.com/krYodzF7GZ May 30, 2020

A couple of years ago, the Golf Stat Pro Lou Stagner crunched the numbers on the PGA Tour from 2016 to 2020 and worked out what Handicap Index players would be relative to Course Rating and Slope Rating on the course’s scorecard from that period - see below.

It showed the average Handicap Index for PGA Tour players in that time was +5.4.

The best index achieved during the period was +8.4 by Rickie Fowler and the best average index for the four years was +6.5 – Dustin Johnson , Jordan Spieth and Brooks Koepka.

Those figures are impressive but are even more so when you consider that those calculations didn’t take into consideration the tournament set-up – faster greens, longer rough, difficult pin positions. If those were factored in the handicaps of PGA Tour players could be at least a shot or two lower. As the PGA Tour often stresses, “these guys are good.”

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly. 

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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Professional golfers are even better than you think – and have the handicaps to prove it

Published: 27 January 2016 Last updated: 27 January 2016

rory-mcilroy

The PGA Tour trailers on TV often finish with the slogan “these guys are good”. Actually, these guys aren’t just good – they are far, far better than you think.

Every amateur golfer has dreamed of what it would be like to be a tour professional. Some of you may be scratch golfers, or play with scratch golfers, and wonder if there is a chance you could be mixing it with the big names on Tour. Without wishing to sound negative, I hate to say that the only way most scratch golfers would make it on Tour is as a caddie or scoreboard carrier.

The majority of top golf professionals played to handicaps of +4 to +6 before entering the professional ranks. Some current pros still hold active handicaps, and these serve to highlight how much better than “scratch” they really are.

Bubba Watson plays off +7.7 at Isleworth Country Club in Florida, while Whisper Rock Golf Club in Arizona boasts many Tour pros as members, including Phil Mickelson (+5.2), Martin Kaymer (+6.6), Paul Casey (+6) and Geoff Ogilvy (+5.8). Obviously, if they were free to play there every week, their handicaps would be even better. 

My own club, The Wisley in Surrey, has tour pros who don’t have an official handicap, but I would estimate are playing off at least +6 or better.

And it’s not just the quality and consistency of the scores these guys post at PGA and European Tour events that is so impressive; you have to remember that the courses they are playing are the toughest around. 

They are playing off tees that make the holes extra long, rough that has been grown to be thicker than it would be the rest of the year, pin positions craftily tucked away to add drama, with lightning-fast putting surfaces that accentuate every borrow and break. 

Plus, there’s the small matter of the pressure of playing for your living, knowing that you need to make a birdie on this hole to pay the bills…

If a scratch handicap club golfer played a tour event, he’d do very well indeed to break 80. If he somehow bagged a spot in a Major, I’d be surprised to see him shoot anything under 90. 

Ian Poulter is often used as an example that you don’t need a glittering amateur career and a +6 handicap to make it as a professional. Yes, you can turn pro if your handicap is four or better, but I wouldn’t rely on Poulter as evidence that doing so will kickstart a successful career, with millions of pounds in the bank, dozens of Ferraris on the drive and a Ryder Cup history few can match. Poulter’s handicap seemed slightly sketchy since he had no real amateur record to speak of, and he acknowledges that he turned pro to work in a shop while practising and playing to improve his golf standard – only then was he able to compete as a playing professional. 

If you’re battling to get your handicap down to four in order to turn pro, I’d advise you to have a think about your career plan. Those who have any chance of making it as playing professionals normally fly past that point on their way to plus-figure handicaps. Even prospects in their early teens are playing off +3 or better, and even they have no guarantee of “making it”. 

If your dream is to be a tour professional, nothing I say can or should change that. Use that dream to fuel your determination and give your game your full commitment, working at it as much as you can, always trying to learn from others, and even helping other (less talented) players around you – you’ll be surprised how much doing that can help your own game.

I only ask you to do one thing, and that is to retain your pure passion for the game. 

Play golf for the right reasons. Don’t see golf as your one-way ticket to easy fame and riches, because it’s not. None of the current tour pros picked up a golf club for the first time thinking, ‘I hope I make millions doing this’. They fell in love with the game for the same reasons we all did: the addictive sensation of hitting a good shot and the never-ending challenge to improve. 

Keep playing golf for the right reasons and it will always serve you well, whether it ends up netting you a fortune or just taking 10p a hole off your mates. 

NEXT UP: WHY THE CALLAWAY TRUVIS BALL COULD CHANGE THE GAME

Q: I know pros can't have handicap indexes, but if they could, what would be the average Index of a PGA Tour pro?

A: Most tour pros would have an Index of about plus-5. In any given week, the winner plays to about a plus-10. In the year 2000, when Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open, British Open and the PGA Championship, he played to a plus-10 the entire year. I know a lot of scratch golfers who think they�re good enough to play on tour, so let this serve as a reality check.

from DEAN KNUTH , former senior director of the USGA Handicap Department.

From Golf Digest November 2013 , page 44

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Golf Handicap Explained: What Is It and Should You Have One?

Our golf writer and reviewer, Marc, helps us get a better understanding of what a golf handicap really is, how it's calculated, and why you want to know yours!

There may not be a bigger mystery in all of golf than how the handicap system works.

There are plenty of lifelong golfers who can’t explain it. Even players who keep a regular golf handicap may not understand how it is calculated. Why is it that everybody has heard of a golf handicap but so few people, even golfers, really know how it’s calculated or how it's correctly applied on the golf course?

But while the golf handicap system is definitely a bit complicated, it’s really not as hard to grasp as you might fear. You can at least get the gist of it better than you may understand the topic now.

I’m going to try to demystify the whole handicap system. I’ll give you as simple of an explanation as I can. But better than that, I’m going to try to help you understand why you might want to get a golf handicap index if you don’t already have one and how it could make golf more fun for you.

One of the coolest things about golf is that players of varying skill levels can compete against each other. They can even wager with one another if they’re so inclined. Now, I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t bet a professional basketball player that I could beat them in a game of one-on-one. But I could actually have a chance to win a bet against a professional golfer. And, trust me, that’s not because I’m an amazing player. It’s all because of the golf handicap system.

So, let’s crack the code and put to rest any misunderstanding about golf handicaps.

How Does a Golf Handicap Work?

OK, I lied (kind of). Calculating a golf handicap index is actually fairly intense. BUT, you don’t have to worry about that. There’s a system that does the math for you. All you’ll have to do is input your scores and a little bit of information regarding where you played. I’ll explain more about that in a minute.

In the meantime, even if we don’t have to know how a golf handicap is calculated, it’s still good information to have a handle on if you want to consider yourself a golfer.

The first thing to understand is that the golf handicap system is in place to unify all golfers, allowing all of us to use the same system to understand how good of a golfer each of us is so that if we want to play a match against one another, we can establish an even playing field.

“Why not just use each golfer’s average score to determine their ability?” you might ask. The reason is that different golf courses vary in difficulty. If I shoot even par at my really easy local muni, that’s a lot different than shooting even par at a really tough golf course like Bethpage Black. The same goes for which tee boxes you choose to play. If you play a forward set of tees that are much shorter than the further-back tees, that’s considered to be easier.

The handicap system accounts for those differences in difficulty with things called course rating and slope rating. Now each of those terms could get their own separate blog posts, so let’s stay out of those rabbit holes here. All you really need to know is that, in essence, each golf course is scored based on relative difficulty and each golf round is weighted based on things like what tee box you played from. Course rating and slope rating are the metrics used for those calculations. And those ratings factor into the handicap system so that you would be more rewarded for playing well on a really difficult course from the furthest-back tees than you would for shooting that same score on a really easy course from the forward tees.

It used to be that there were six different golf handicap systems used throughout the world. The system in the United States wasn’t the same as the one in the U.K, which wasn’t the same as the one in South Africa and on and on. Talk about confusion!

Thankfully, as of 2020, we now have the World Handicap System , which allows all of us to use the exact same method of arriving at our handicap numbers. Phew!

Here’s how the World Handicap System works:

1. Score Differential . Each time you play a round of golf, you’ll of course shoot a total score. That’s called your gross score. And, as you’ll recall, the difficulty of the golf course where you shot that score as well as things like the tee box you played from (course rating and slope rating) will factor in. All of those things mixed together create what’s called that round’s score differential.

The differential equation goes like this: Gross Score - Course Rating x 113 / Slope Rating = Score Differential

So, let’s say you shot an 88 on a golf course with a course rating of 72 and a slope rating of 131. So 88 - 72 = 16. And 16 x 113 = 1,808. And 1,808 / 131 = 13.8. So 13.8 would be your score differential for that round of golf.

2. Handicap Index. Your handicap index, which is what we’re usually referring to when we think of a golf handicap, is always a reflection of the last 20 rounds you’ve played. The way it works is you take the lowest eight differentials from the pool of your last 20 rounds, you average those, and that is the number that becomes your golf handicap index for that specific point in time.

So, let’s say over your last 20 rounds of golf, your eight best differentials, in order by the dates you shot those differentials, are 13.8, 14.2, 16.1, 15.5, 17.9, 13.6, 14.3, 15.2. If we add all of those up, we get 120.6. And if we divide that by 8, we get 15.1. That means that, at the moment, your handicap index is 15.1.

As for the other 12 rounds of your last 20 that were not among your best eight, those are thrown out and not factored in.

3. Your handicap index is always changing. Unless you shoot the same score on the same golf course for every single round, your handicap index is going to change. Remember, it’s always a reflection of your last 20 rounds. So, in the above example, our earliest differential that factored in was 13.8. But let’s say that 13.8 happened to be the longest ago of your most recent 20 rounds. And let’s say you then went out and played again and posted a differential of 14.9. The 13.8 would now be thrown out because it’s not within your last 20 rounds. And because the 14.9 would still be among your eight lowest from your last 20 differentials, it would in essence replace the 13.8. After you put all that through that confusing-as-hell formula, you’d find that your handicap index would increase from 15.1 to 15.2.

As with everything in golf scoring, lower is better. The lower one’s handicap index is, the better golfer they are considered to be. Someone with a handicap index of 0 is called a scratch golfer. And exceptional players have handicaps that are actually below zero. While it may sound counterintuitive, those golfers are said to have plus handicaps. A PGA Tour pro, for example, might have a handicap index of somewhere around +6 or +7.

If you’re still confused, don’t worry. All of that math that we just walked through only matters if you’re interested in understanding why your golf handicap index is what it is. Nowadays, you are not expected to calculate it yourself. If you talk to your local teaching pro, they can set you up with a Golf Handicap and Information Network (GHIN) account. You’ll pay a small fee each year and then everything will be calculated for you. You can even download an app so that you can always have your handicap index at the ready. All you have to do is enter your gross score, course rating, slope rating, and par of the course you played after each round into your GHIN account, and it will automatically do the calculations to tell you your current handicap index.

By the way, every golf course has a course and slope rating. They are assigned by the in-person visits of licensed course raters. These numbers are almost always printed on the scorecard. But if you don’t see them, just ask in the pro shop.

So now that you (hopefully) have a better understanding of how a golf handicap index is calculated, let’s talk about what purpose a handicap serves.

How To Use a Golf Handicap

Remember, the purpose of the golf handicap system is to establish an even playing field for all of us. It’s one of the really neat things about the game of golf. In what other sport can you play on the same playing surface against someone who is far better or worse than you and have an even match? In golf, the handicap system allows you to do exactly that.

If you are a scratch golfer and I am the above-example 15.2 handicap index, we both know that you’re almost guaranteed to shoot a better score than me if we play a round of golf together. But once we apply our handicap indexes, we can actually play against each other with a scoreboard that is going to tell us which of us played better relative to our abilities.

There are actually a few different ways of applying a golf handicap index. And to really do it to the letter-of-the-law correctly, if multiple golfers were using handicaps to play a competition, they should use what’s called a course handicap , which is a separate calculation that applies each golfer’s handicap index to the specific golf course they are playing that day.

For the sake of simplicity, in this post we’re going to stick to two of the most common ways that casual golfers typically use the handicap system, which is using the straight-ahead handicap index to play either stroke play or match play. These are the ways that the terms of most friendly wagers at your local golf course are being decided. And now you can get in on that action too.

How To Use a Golf Handicap for Stroke Play

Stroke play in golf is pretty simple: It’s all about the total number of strokes you take to complete the course. Unlike match play, where you’re going head-to-head against another player on each hole, stroke play tallies up every swing, putt, and unfortunate visit to the hazards from the first tee to the final green. Lowest score wins. It’s the most common format you’ll see in tournaments, emphasizing consistent performances across each hole.

Applying a handicap index to stroke play is likewise simple — and a lot of fun. All you have to do is take the gross score that each golfer shoots, subtract their handicap index, and arrive at what’s called a net score.

So, let’s walk through an example with four golfers:

Golfer one has a handicap index of 12. For this round, they shoot an 86, which is their gross score. 86 - 12 = 74. So golfer one’s net score is 74.

Golfer two’s handicap is sitting at a 10. But they’ve had a so-so day on the course and shot an 85. So their net score (85 - 10) is a 75.

Then there’s golfer three. They’re a little inconsistent and have a handicap index of 18. But, wow did they play great in this round, firing an uncharacteristic 91. That means they’re net score is 73.

Golfer four is a scratch player, who on this day plays fair but not great. With a gross score of 74 and a handicap index of 0, they end up with a net score of 74.

So, in this example, the least-skilled golfer who played exceptionally well on this particular day is actually able to beat even a scratch golfer even though their gross score was 17 strokes worse. And the scratch player tied with the 12-handicapper who was just one better than the 10.

You can see how the handicap system can really help to make a competition with disparate skill levels more interesting. WIthout using the handicaps, there would really only be two golfers in the group who would be close to equal in skill level. But with the handicaps, the competition could stay exciting all the way to the final hole.

How To Use a Golf Handicap for Match Play

Match play in golf flips the script. Instead of tallying every stroke from tee-off to the final putt across the entire course, it’s all about winning individual holes. You go head-to-head against another player, and for each hole, the lowest number of strokes wins you that hole.

To apply handicap indexes to a one-on-one match, you would subtract the better golfer’s handicap from the worse golfer’s handicap and the resulting difference would be the number of holes that the worse golfer got a one-stroke advantage. Those stroke holes are determined by looking at the scorecard’s “handicap” line which ranks each golf hole from toughest (1) to easiest (18).

So, let’s say one golfer was a 10 and the other was a 5. The better golfer (the 5) would give the 10-handicapper a stroke on the five toughest holes. That means that if, on a stroke hole, the worse golfer got a bogey and the better golfer got a par, they would actually tie that hole.

You can also apply handicap indexes to multiplayer match-play games. The simple way to do that is to just take the handicap index of each player and then give them a stroke on however many holes equals their handicap.

So, a scratch golfer wouldn’t get any strokes. A golfer with a handicap of 5 would get a stroke on each of the five toughest holes. A golfer with an index of 10 would get a stroke on each of the 10 toughest holes. And a golfer with a handicap index of 20 would get a stroke on all 18 holes plus an additional stroke on each of the two most difficult holes.

A Golf Handicap Gives You Opportunities

If you want to play in a golf league, even a casual one, you’re probably going to need a handicap index.

And if you want to play in a golf club’s member-guest tournament, you’re also going to need to establish a handicap.

The same goes for a ton of other organized golf events, whether casual or competitive.

And, as we’ve talked about, having a golf handicap index allows you to play competitively with your golfing buddies, even if they aren’t at the same skill level as you.

Beyond that, maintaining a golf handicap is the best way to track your progress. It can keep you motivated to improve.

Is calculating a golf handicap complicated? Um, yes — very! But, as I said, you don’t have to worry about that. Your app will do those calculations for you. But understanding the general idea of what that handicap number means and how it actually works out on the golf course can be really useful.

Just remember one thing: Be honest. Nobody likes a sandbagger (someone who plays with an inflated handicap to get the benefit of more strokes) or a vanity handicapper (someone with a fraudulently low handicap index who’s protecting their ego).

Post the real scores as you shoot ‘em, and use your handicap index to have more fun on the golf course.

About PlayBetter Golf Reviewer Marc Sheforgen

Marc "Shef" Sheforgen is a golf writer whose passion for the game far exceeds his ability to play it well. Marc covers all things golf, from product reviews and equipment recommendations to event coverage and tournament analysis. When he’s not playing, watching, or writing about golf, he enjoys traveling (often golf-related), youth sports coaching, volunteering, and record collecting.

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The Average Handicap For A Pro Golfer

If you’re working on reducing your handicap to become a pro golfer or have a keen interest in watching the pros on TV, you might wonder what the average handicap is for a pro golfer. Professional golfers don’t generally keep score, but what would be their average handicap if they did?

The average handicap for a professional golfer would be +5.4 if they reported their scores. This handicap score is obtained from rounds played over a recent four-year period between 2016 and 2020 (minimum 100 rounds) based on scores relative to the courses’ rating and slope rating.

Some pros keep handicaps for interest, but this has no effect or bearing on their actual ability. The course setup for professionals is far more difficult than for even top amateur events. Read on to learn more about the average handicap of a PGA golfer and see how good the pros are!

Pro Golfer Average Handicap

Golf handicaps are only kept for amateurs. Professional golfers don’t have handicaps as there is no need to make it more of an even contest, so they don’t need to keep their scores.

If you consider that top-ranked amateurs could have handicaps around the +2 to +5 mark, it would be safe to safe that pro golfers would have handicaps from +5 to +8.

When arriving at the average handicap index for a pro golfer of +5.4, specific metrics weren’t considered, such as how the greens are faster and firmer for the PGA Tour or the placement of tougher pins. Nonetheless, it gives you an idea of the handicap you’ll need to make it as a pro.

Here are the results:

Source: @loustagner

Even Before Golfers Turn Pro, They Are Pretty Good

For a golfer to turn professional , they would usually have a handicap of between +4 and +6 as an amateur, as this would get to the entry-level ability for the pro tours. To be a pro, you’d need to shoot around three over par as a maximum playing on a championship course!

Now scratch and single-figure players may boast about their handicaps, but golf at the elite level is an entirely different universe altogether. At Whisper Rock in Arizona, elite players often have rounds there, and their handicaps are impressive.

Those names include Phil Mickelson at a handicap of +5.2; Paul Casey at +6; Martin Kaymer at +6.6; and Geoff Ogilvy at 5.8. To put this in perspective, compare these numbers to one of the greatest to ever play.

In the 2005/2006 season, Tiger’s handicap would have been almost +8. That’s more than two shots better than Mickelson’s handicap, and he is no slouch. Tiger’s handicap of 7.9 is one of the best, and rightly so.

Bubba Watson plays off a +7.7 handicap at Isleworth Country Club. Still, some elite players who achieved success didn’t have the +6 level handicap when they started, and Ian Poulter is a good example.

Many aspiring pros and amateurs alike seek to achieve that level of ability in their game. Few do, as it takes immense commitment, practice, and dedication to get that good. After all, golf is hard !

Making The Cut Like A Pro

If you’re thinking about turning pro having completed your degree, you should be shooting under par in at least 50% of tournaments you play in, or you will not make the cut as a pro. If you want to know how to become a pro golfer, this article will interest you, 7 Ways To Become a Pro Golfer .

Even if you are playing at +3 or better, there is still no guarantee that you will make it as the handicap is not the only element in your game you need to master to play at that elite level.

Related: How Good Is 3 Handicap In Golf ?

Aside from the physical skills required, there are also the mental skills and resilience needed to compete with the best in the world, and no handicap can measure that. The pressure experienced in pro events can crack players and see them not even make the cut.

This is why many amateurs who do get a spot in pro events often fail to shoot their average scores as the course setup is much more complex, playing longer off the tees and with greens running faster and flag placements in more challenging positions.

In professional tournaments , the cut lines can vary from two over par to five under par, so pro golf is not an option if you are not shooting consistently in that range.

What Does The ‘PLUS’ Handicap Mean For Scoring?

If you’re a little confused by the ‘plus’ handicap, let me explain!

A plus handicap in golf is where players have to add strokes to their gross score to arrive at a net result. So, a player with a +4 handicap would need to shoot a score of 4 under par just to be even.

Now think about that for a minute. On a par 72 course, with a handicap of +4, a 68 would be playing to your handicap!

A scratch golfer would need to shoot a level par of 72 to shoot his handicap, and anyone who has achieved this feat knows how tough that is and to do that week in and week out simply to maintain a handicap.

Now you need to be 4-6 shots better than that on average to consider getting onto the PGA Tour! This ability level demonstrates how good the elite players are. Even those playing on the qualifying tours like Korn Ferry are distinctly better than top amateurs playing club golf.

How Much Better Are The Pros Than Scratch Golfers?

To give you a final perspective on the difference in skill level between pros and scratch players, let’s look at both the average scores and the average course ratings for pros and scratch players.

Based on statistical data in 2015 from more than 8,000 rounds of scratch golf played where the score played to handicap and more than 14,000 rounds of pro golf, the results are pretty emphatic.

The average pro score was 70.85, and the scratch player was 73.1; this is a difference of 2.25 strokes, but it doesn’t end there. The course ratings also come into play here, and for the pros, the course rating was 76, with the scratch course rating at 72.8.

This gave a difference of 3.2 strokes and added to the 2.25 strokes from the average score; the actual difference between pro and scratch is a mammoth 5.45 shots.

While the scratch players had a lower error rate and better accuracy off the tees, this stat would be mitigated due to the pro tees being that much further back than scratch tees.

Pro golfers, on average, were 33 yards further off the tee than the scratch players, but the PGA Tour pros showed their skills on approach shots with a better average on attempts from 126 yards to 225 yards out.

In both putting and short game, the pros are better at getting it closer and making more putts from 4-20 feet than scratch players are and that, of course, is where the scoring is!

The stats above don’t include any consideration for performance pressure. That would influence the determination of the difference between pros and scratch players and justify the impressive handicaps elite players would have.

Final Thoughts

When considering the average handicap of a PGA golfer, we have to remember that most pros don’t keep their scores. But, if they did, from recent data, their average would be +5.4.

So, the next time you are watching pro golfers, and while it seems they make it easy, remember that these players are playing off handicaps that most of us can only dream of.

Related Posts You May Like:

• 7 Most Popular Irons on The PGA Tour
• Low vs. High Handicap In Golf (Defining Golf Handicaps)
• Why Do Golfers Only Wear One Glove ?
• How Pro Golf Players Get Paid (Is It All About The Cut?)

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My solution for ranking pro golfers might be crazy enough to work

For most golfers, the currency that measures our skill is a handicap. It is a measure not only of our scores, but the difficulty of where we play. Both factors are essential.

Why don’t pros need handicaps? Because pros always play straight up, and the handicap’s main purpose is to help players of different abilities arrive at a form of fair competition. But a handicap system among pros—or at least a slight variation—might come in handy somewhere else.

For those not paying attention, professional golf is at an inflection point. There are competing professional golf tours , and a series of major championships caught in the middle asked to determine who is eligible to play in them and who isn’t. For now, those majors rely on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) to make many of those calculations, but that system has critics, too.

The central conflict: The OWGR is not granting ranking points for LIV Golf events, which means LIV players are dropping in the rankings and risk being shut out of future majors. Are those players actually getting worse? Not really, and therein lies the problem. Any system dependent on comparing golfers’ performances in specific events becomes problematic the moment you start debating the validity of one tour’s events versus another’s.

But what if the system that assessed players’ merit relied less on who they played against and more on how they played on specific courses? In other words, what if professional golf had something like its own handicap?

Introducing the Pro Golf Handicap

Now, before we go any further with this idea, a couple of caveats. The concept I am floating would at some point rely on a fairly intricate algorithm, but that algorithm should be devised by just about anyone other than this college English major. Second, the reason the current system is flawed is because it contains some inherent bias, and my concept aspires to circumvent the most problematic areas. But some subjectivity is inevitable, so the challenge is to at least place the judgment calls into the least fraught elements.

This will make sense. Stay with me.

Anyway, back to the handicap system, which at its core asks two questions: What did you shoot? And where did you play? You need both because golfers recognize a 70 from the tips at Winged Foot is way more difficult than a 70 on a 5,700-yard course with flat greens and no hazards.

More From Golf Digest

But for pro golfers, two questions aren’t enough. The level of talent in professional golf is deeper than ever. Plenty of players post absurdly low scores on mini-tours, and while it’s widely conceded the PGA Tour has the most difficult setups, not all of the other tours' golf courses are pushovers. Yet should all those players be eligible for the Masters? Probably not.

Knowing that, the first deviation for the Pro Golf Handicap (PGH) would be the need for a deeper analysis of the golf courses, which I’m calling the Adjusted Course Rating (ACR). Remember, at the highest levels of golf, the layouts players must navigate in tournament play hardly resemble what an average player faces on normal weeks. Rough is higher, greens are faster, pins are tucked closer to the edges.

In a Pro Golf Handicap, there would need to be a course rating system that also factors in setup variables, which is to say, shooting 70 at Winged Foot from the tips is already damn good, but if you’re doing it under U.S. Open conditions, it’s elite. How would we arrive at this calculation? It could be a combination of factoring in fixed numbers—green speeds, rough height, distances of pins from collars—but also comparing the scores to the field average that day. Strokes-gained formulas are devised similarly, and the OWGR has one of those, too, but for reasons I’ll explain later, the OWGR’s strokes-gained metric is also problematic.

Not just where, but when

So the Adjusted Course Rating is one unique requirement of a Pro Handicap. The other is admittedly even more complex, because as we know, a professional golfers’ performance is not just about what they shoot and where, but when. The significance of the tournament, what was at stake, whether they started the day with the lead or were 10 strokes back—this is another layer of context that contributes to a scores’ degree of difficulty. Again, if we agree there’s a difference between shooting 70 on different course setups, we can probably also agree there’s a difference between shooting 70 on Thursday morning of a Korn Ferry Tour event and Sunday evening of a U.S. Open. For this formula to work, it would require a combination of historical data (a final-round leader’s average score, etc) and other considerations that factor in a round’s specific challenge.

The Professional Golf Handicap* = ([Adjusted Course Rating x Situational Difficulty Index] - 18-hole Tournament Score) ÷ Tournament Rounds

Admittedly, this Situational Difficulty Index (SDI) requires some subjectivity to determine why one round of golf is more important than another, and it immediately raises the sticky question of what magnitude should be assigned to a tournament’s history or “prestige”* (which would presumably favor long-running PGA Tour or DP World Tour events over the inaugural LIV Golf events). So yes, some of this criteria will require real decisions by real people, but the goal is for the data to take over from there.

(*There’s also the even murkier question of money. One might assume the more money at stake in an event the greater the magnitude, and in some cases that’s true. BUT … if a tour is throwing piles of money at players to begin with and even last place money is guaranteed and significant, one could argue the payout ceases to play a determining role.)

So could this actually work? Could a Pro Handicap actually replace the OWGR as a fairer way of measuring one player against another? Here it’s important to remember the problem we’re trying to solve, and the reasons why the current system doesn’t do it. Beyond LIV Golf’s infamous source of funding, its detractors will say its competitive product is inferior, a tour seeking legitimacy by way of slapping a few zeroes at the end of tournament purses. In the absence of World Ranking points for its events, players who aren’t otherwise exempt for majors will slip further down the OWGR until they’re shut out altogether.

To which you might say, tough luck. This was the choice those players made when joining LIV. Maybe that’s true, but remember, the major championships are the most important events in golf because they bring the best players in the game together on the best courses. To exclude LIV golfers from competing jeopardizes that promise, in turn undermining the majors’ importance. This could be bad for golf.

So if we want the best players in golf eligible for the most important tournaments, then we need an apples-to-apples method to determine a player’s current level of play. The OWGR is currently reviewing LIV Golf’s application to award World Ranking points, but it appears that LIV tournaments won’t satisfy the OWGR requirements for inclusion and perhaps understandably. Winning a LIV Golf event—over just 54 holes, against a 48-man field—isn’t as demanding as a PGA Tour event played over 72 holes against 155 other players.

But shouldn’t those performances count for something ? And if so, how?

The OWGR, and to an extent even its own strokes-gained world rating , is more concerned with how golfers fare against one another than how they fare against the assortment of courses they play. The objective of a golf tournament is to win, of course, so winning would need to be rewarded in the PGHI formula. But the OWGR’s reliance on strength of field also makes it a self-fulfilling prophecy: a field’s strength is determined by the World Ranking of its players, which those players achieve by playing in events with strong fields. (Raise your hand if your head hurts.)

The Pro Handicap, meanwhile, eliminates most of the subjectivity of determining one tournament’s worth over another, and returns to the simpler questions of how well you play on these level of courses under these specific circumstances. Again, if the objective is to round up the most qualified golfers for the most important tournaments, this could do it.

If a LIV golfer not already exempt wants to prove why he deserves inclusion in the most important tournaments, the path to do so would be there. But that path is narrower for a reason. An Adjusted Course Rating would reflect LIV courses that are set up generally easier than those on the PGA Tour, and the Situational Difficulty Index would likely reveal most LIV tournament rounds by definition don’t present as steep a challenge. You’re playing against only 47 players, for starters, and since the formula gives greater weight to rounds as tournaments progress, LIV’s 54-hole format means its final round won’t be as “heavy” as the fourth round of a 72-hole event.

If you’ve read this far, it’s because you either think the Pro Handicap has real merit or because you think it’s so absurd you can’t look away. In fact both might be true. The Pro Handicap is indeed an imperfect system. But given the imperfect state of golf these days, and the imperfect system it endeavors to replace, it still might actually work.

Opinion & Analysis

The statistical differences between a scratch golfer and pga tour player.

You might ask: How would I know the differences between a scratch golfer and a PGA Tour player? Well, it is my full-time job to know these type of things about golf. I have been studying the game from a statistical standpoint for 27 years. I created the Strokes Gained analysis website, ShotByShot.com , and work with PGA Tour members to extract clear answers from the Tour’s overwhelming 653 ShotLink stats.

My experience tells me that there is no such thing as an average game, no matter the handicap level. We’re all snowflakes and find our own unique way to shoot our number. With that said, ShotByShot.com’s 260,000+ round database enables us to create a composite sketch of the average golfer at each level. One of the beauties of our averages is that they are smooth across all five major facets so that every individual golfer’s strengths and weaknesses — and we all have them — stand out clearly by comparison.

The Data Used for this Study

• Mr. Scratch: I averaged the 8,360 rounds in our database that match the zero handicap criteria. In other words, the rounds when Mr. Scratch actually played to his 0 handicap.
• PGA Tour:  The average of the 14,557 ShotLink rounds recorded in the 2015 season.

The USGA’s Course and Slope rating system does a sophisticated job of evaluating the relative difficulty of our golf courses. I joined my local course rating committee shortly after the new “Slope” system was added. My specific goal was to gain an understanding of how the system works so that I could effectively apply it in my analysis program.

For the purposes of this article, the Course Rating reflects the relative course par for the scratch golfer. The chart below tells us that the PGA Tour scoring average is 2.25 strokes better than Mr. Scratch. Further, Tour players are playing courses that are 3.2 strokes more difficult. The net result is a 5.45-shot difference between Tour players and Mr. Scratch, but let’s just call it 5.5.

The chart above shows us that the biggest piece of the 5.5-shot pie falls into the Driving category, or Distance, which makes sense to me. To play the game for a living, one must be able to hit it straight and far. Even Zach Johnson, with whom I have had the great pleasure of working with for five years, is often considered a short hitter. I contend that he is simply more intelligent and recognizes the true value of accuracy. Zach is averaging 281 yards this year, only seven off of the Tour average. Short? Not by my standards.

The chart below indicates that the driving distance gap between the Tour and Mr. Scratch is 33 yards. The average approach shot distance on the PGA Tour is 175 yards. Adding the 33 yards to all 14 driving holes puts Mr. Scratch’s average approach distance at just over 205 yards. The Strokes Gained value of this added distance is 2.52 strokes (0.18 per attempt x 14 driving holes = 2.52).

Accuracy and Errors Per Round

Mr. Scratch appears slightly better than the Tour in accuracy and errors per round. With added distance inevitably comes some reduced accuracy and more errors. I believe this slight edge would more than disappear if Mr. Scratch were using the Tour’s big-boy tees.

*Driving errors = Balls hit out of play, penalties, or shots requiring an advancement to return to normal play.

Approach Shots

As you can see by the chart below, Mr. Scratch is slightly less accurate from the distances that account for 80 percent of the Tour approach attempts. I estimate that Mr. Scratch’s reduced accuracy would account for at least two fewer GIR’s per round, at a cost of 1.5 strokes. It is interesting to note that Mr. Scratch incurs an approach penalty with the same frequency as the Tour average (1 in every 5 rounds).

Mr. Scratch leaves his successful short game shots 1 foot farther from the hole. This difference in the range of 7-10 feet is worth 0.08 Strokes Gained. When multiplied by seven short game shots per round it’s 0.56 strokes, but we’ll call it half a stroke.

I am ignoring the minor difference in errors (shots that miss the green). My theory is that Mr. Scratch attains his excellent scoring level through meticulous short game consistency. The Tour players are so good that they try to get even highest-risk shots close to the hole, confident that if they miss the green they will save the next — which they do 75 percent of the time. In 2015, only 25 percent of the short game shots that missed the green took more than three strokes to finally hole out.

As you can see from the chart below, Mr. Scratch is slightly less proficient in the ranges that account for the vast majority of 1-Putt opportunities on Tour. Mr. Scratch also 3-Putts 38 percent more frequently than the Tour average. The Strokes Gained impact of these differences over 18 holes would be 0.9 strokes — let’s call it 1 stroke.

Bottom line, there is a measurable 5.5 stroke difference between Mr. Scratch and PGA Tour players. I have obviously not factored in the immeasurable effect of the added pressure and stress of teeing it up in a Tour event. Anyone who has participated in a PGA Tour Pro-Am will attest to the electric atmosphere and amplified pressure that comes with the experience.

If you want to try to get on the PGA Tour, your handicap needs to be a solid +3. If you want to support a family playing on tour, your handicap should be +5. Much easier said than done, however.

Olympic Golf: Rooting for the Red, White and Who?

The Mystery Behind the Mulligan

In 1989, Peter Sanders founded Golf Research Associates, LP, creating what is now referred to as Strokes Gained Analysis. His goal was to design and market a new standard of statistically based performance analysis programs using proprietary computer models. A departure from “traditional stats,” the program provided analysis with answers, supported by comparative data. In 2006, the company’s website, ShotByShot.com, was launched. It provides interactive, Strokes Gained analysis for individual golfers and more than 150 instructors and coaches that use the program to build and monitor their player groups. Peter has written, or contributed to, more than 60 articles in major golf publications including Golf Digest, Golf Magazine and Golf for Women. From 2007 through 2013, Peter was an exclusive contributor and Professional Advisor to Golf Digest and GolfDigest.com. Peter also works with PGA Tour players and their coaches to interpret the often confusing ShotLink data. Zach Johnson has been a client for nearly five years. More recently, Peter has teamed up with Smylie Kaufman’s swing coach, Tony Ruggiero, to help guide Smylie’s fast-rising career.

113 Comments

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Aug 10, 2018 at 12:23 pm

I would think Scratch players mostly play the same course or just a few courses. They have to be able to record the scores for their numbers. That means they are playing the same course all the time. Familiarity with greens and local knowledge are big in their scoring. . I think this certainly Skews the numbers.

William mcdonald

Dec 4, 2018 at 5:19 pm

I played a club event n Greg Norman was a competitor all players were amateurs I’m a 4.6 index Norman played at scratch his explanation was pros play at scratch seems ridiculous Is Norman correct

Jul 30, 2018 at 4:26 pm

Why wouldn’t a tour average be be closer to par?

Randolph Dewolf

Jul 31, 2016 at 6:17 pm

___123___The Statistical Differences Between a Scratch Golfer and PGA Tour Player | GolfWRX___123___

Richard Bance

Jul 18, 2016 at 1:26 am

It is pretty obvious. A scratch player could not make it as a PGA Tour Pro. They would need to be off about +5 or better to have a chance…..I am agreeing with the article…

Jul 20, 2016 at 3:05 am

Ian Poulter declared himself a Pro with a regular handicap of 4 and that’s not +4, just 4 and off he went

Steven hutchins

Jan 3, 2017 at 1:40 pm

Anyone can claim Pro, even the PGA the test is +11 over 2 rounds

Jul 10, 2016 at 10:06 pm

I really wish people like the author here would quit taking stats and force facts from them. What is the difference between a scratch golfer and tour player? One guys works a job 40-50 hours a week and tries to squeeze in his golf game, the other does not. One guy has the absolute best of equipment, prototypes, coaches both swing and mental, the other does not. One guy watches his ball sail over the green and he has got to play it, which the other guy has a crowd to stop the ball or some kind of temporary structure to get a free drop from. As to distance, one guy gets rolled fairways which give 10-20 more yards, the other guy does not. One guy gets to play on a course that is brought to be in absolute perfect conditions. The other guy might get lucky and a play that day they cut all the fairways and greens. Oh lets not get into the perfect traps.

So, let’s swish that around with all those other numbers.

Jul 15, 2016 at 8:14 pm

Did you see the MASSIVE CROWD of people helping to look for Stricker’s ball in the rough today at The Open? And they only found the 2nd one, not the first! If I had them people, I would shoot 2 or 3 strokes better every round

Jul 20, 2016 at 6:57 pm

How well do ams do at pro-ams? Must be the full-time jobs holding them back. Pros in golf are pros because of the same reasons LeBron James and JJ Watt are pros: talent and dedication. Circumstances have nothing to do with it.

Andrew Cooper

Jul 10, 2016 at 3:50 am

Interested to know where the 255 yard average for the scratch player came from? I’d have put that more like 265-270 yards.

satch_boogie

Jul 11, 2016 at 1:24 pm

That would be interesting. Could be course length – if you’re playing the back tees you have a longer distance to the landing area than the forward tees have. So the guy on the forward tees might hit it shorter sometimes to keep it in the landing area.

Jul 11, 2016 at 1:28 pm

Good question Andrew. We do not capture driving distance in ShotByShot.com for several good reasons. I turned to an expert in the field of high end amateur golf. He has worked with top young amateurs for 25 years and seen many of them try and some succeed at making it on the big tour. I too thought that the average distance should be higher but let’s remember we are talking about a broad average.

Jul 9, 2016 at 10:55 pm

God guys it’s a number in a box. Do you realize that only 1/2 of 1 percent of all the golfers in the world are below a 10 hcp. And scratch is good dam good.

Nofiu Akano

Jul 9, 2016 at 8:13 pm

Beautiful article. I love it

Jul 9, 2016 at 6:29 pm

This is very interesting. This topic has been hashed and rehashed many times before. About 13 years ago there were several Top 100 teachers and touring professionals who were asked this very same question. Jim McLean said the difference is between 15-16 strokes. Larry Nelson, senior pro, said the difference is between 12-15 strokes. Anyone who thinks it’s less than 10 strokes is absolutely delusional and out of touch with reality.

michael johnson

Jul 10, 2016 at 6:21 pm

no. as the stats show: difference is 5 strokes, maybe up to eight to a very good pro.

Jun 3, 2020 at 6:09 pm

It’s absolutely 15/16. Greens at 13/14, rough that’s nasty, 7500 yard course, and the fact those guys are green light go if they want to win. It’s not even close, not even a little bit. Pro golfers are a different breed.

Oct 9, 2021 at 6:50 pm

Not all the courses play like this. It’s averaged out. They don’t play Kiawah every week.

Also the greens are absolutely pristine and this puts up averages for putts over 3 feet.

These guys are obviously talented. But it’s good promotional hype to consider them some kind of different breed. They miss a lot of putts and a scratch player would not find their short game wildly different from their own.

The article reflects exactly what I have witnessed with my own eyes while playing with mini Tour players who go on to the Tour: a 280 yard drive is way beyond what a regular player (even)scratch averages. I had to work for 2 months to add 30 yards to my drives. After that there was only the occasional pro who hit it further to the point it was noticeable. When you hit the ball 280+ yards you can play golf anywhere. When you can play the rest of the game we’ll and hit it 300+, you need to roll the dice and see if you can make it.

Bigleftygolfet

Jul 9, 2016 at 11:01 am

This is a great article!!! I wish more high handicappers would read it so they stop asking “good amateurs” why they don’t play on tour! Everytime I shoot a sub par round in the company of a high handicapper I get asked this question and I tell them I would need to be 8-10 strokes better every day! When I finished college I tried the mini’s for the summer after I graduated carried a +4 Traveling handicap made some money but quickly realized there was a massive ability gap between myself and the people that can do this potentially as a living! I shot many rounds in the 60’s that did not make top 20! And that was on relatively easier “mini” tour golf courses (more similar to what the average golfer plays just from the tips). I did have the opportunity to play in two PGA tour qualifiers on big boy courses and I was happy to shoot a couple over par not making the cut but I quickly realized that my day job would not be golf! I don’t think the average golfer realizes how freakishly good the guys in the show actually are! I took a friend who played for years on the Nike tour (now retired) to a local club and he broke the course record first time seeing the place! That is how good these guys are they shoot sub seventy rounds every time they tee it up at a local course oftentimes with a really good chance of owning the course record assuming it is not already held by a well known tour player!

Also I would argue that tour level courses setup by the PGA have a scoring rating and slope way above what GHIN allows for! I would say something more akin to 78 / 165!!! And forget about it when talking about a US Open in my prime twenty years ago I doubt I could shoot 75 on a us open course when I carried a legit +4!!!

Hats off to the author of this article it really helps one appreciate just how amazing and talented these guys are!

…Now back to my old man 3 handicap $25 weekend nassau! 🙂 This article just reminds me how bad I am at golf!

Jul 9, 2016 at 4:46 pm

No need to put yourself down that much

Jul 9, 2016 at 7:41 pm

not putting himself down, it is clearly just a boast

Jul 10, 2016 at 1:39 am

Sarcasm. Ever heard of it

Jul 9, 2016 at 6:20 am

Every time this topic comes up I’m reminded of the fact that Luke Donald turned pro with a tournament +3 hdcp despite the horror stories of the guys in the +6 range that felt they weren’t good enough. Complicated issue and there is no doubt the difference between scratch and tour pro is staggering but I believe once you get to +3 (consistent and travelling) you have the requisite physical skill. After that, are you mentally tough enough to handle pressure, unfamiliar courses, and the inevitable swing of down time; do you have the money to bankroll your ‘learning curve’ on mini tours, etc.

Jan 6, 2017 at 9:07 am

PLUS 3 in the UK is the equivalent of plus 5 in the USA

Oct 9, 2021 at 7:01 pm

Exactly right.

Jul 8, 2016 at 10:32 pm

Yeah, James hit that one right on the screws. Play a championship course if you ever get the opportunity, and tee your single digit handicap game up, oh, but before you do that, march back another 46 yards on each tee, THEN tee your pearl up! No range finders, just the card. I’ll be at the 19th hole waiting to hear about your alleged 4 hdcp.! I’ll also have an ice cold beverage and a bucket ‘o fries waitin’ for ya to sob into.

Jul 9, 2016 at 12:16 pm

Yeah totally. The article didn’t even take into account the tee box differences. You can be scratch even from the white tees. Tournament tees if available on your golf course are so far back most players would add a stroke a hole.

Jul 10, 2016 at 10:10 pm

Well, there is this thing called course rating and slope.

Jul 8, 2016 at 8:29 pm

I played torrey pines south off the back tees and it made me appreciate that PGA tour players are freaks.

Double Mocha Man

Jul 9, 2016 at 5:06 pm

I played Pebble Beach off the middle tees and it made me appreciate that PGA tour players are freaks.

Achillesheels

Jan 19, 2017 at 12:43 am

I played Rancho Park Par 3 off the mats and it made me appreciate that PGA tour players are freaks.

Jul 8, 2016 at 7:44 pm

Just a fact about golf, it is not just hard, it is very hard……even a 9 handicap playing a different course with 3 strangers can play to a 15 handicap and leave the course telling him/her self they will never post a low score again…golf is tough.

Jul 8, 2016 at 7:53 pm

amen to that….how many times Have you a had a good round at your home/usual course and after friends tossing their clubs in the car saying “ya, your some dam sandbagging 15, shooting a 79”, Then 2 days later playing with the men’s club shooting that same old 87 again…next day you go over and play with your cousin with his friends at their course and it is 87 again not that miracle sandbagging 79……golf on any level is hard.

Jul 8, 2016 at 7:17 pm

Playing in tournaments regularly reduces the pressure factor on the touring pros (or anybody else who plays a lot of tournaments on different courses). It also provides a lot of motivation to practice A LOT! As somebody mentioned regarding Tom Kite, there are at least two different kinds of successful players on tour. One kind is like Kite – very consistent and very good – a golfing machine in every tournament. The other kind is very streaky. When they get hot they are almost unbeatable if they can keep it going for four rounds. Another factor that may sound odd at first glance is what playing daily does to a golfer physiologically. It tightens up the right muscles and loosens up the right muscles. That makes hitting consistently good shots, consistent contact, distance control, etc. a lot easier. For example, when I play a lot, my loose wrists tighten up, increasing my accuracy and quality of strike. My timing is more consistent. It is easier to maximize distance (and make it consistent) on every shot due to consistently better contact, etc. A lot of short game practice makes chips, pitches, and sand shots around the green easier as well. As several people have mentioned there are few amateurs with unlimited time to play and practice.

Jul 10, 2016 at 10:12 pm

Mississauga Jim

Jul 8, 2016 at 3:07 pm

I was a squash playing and teaching pro for twenty years. I’m way past my prime now, but this article is poignant. I played for money and ranking points for the national team. The difference between me and a superb club or college player was confidence and experience. Plus I hardly made errors. So in golf with so many different courses that’s one factor. Plus I can’t relate to the gallery pressure but I can relate to having to make a cheque to eat. Guys playing on mini tours, I can relate to that. My biggest cheques were only $2,500.00. But average was only about $1,200.00. I did a lot of lessons then. Those who say being a tour pro has so many advantages, well everyone you play against does too. You actually get super bored playing tournaments regardless of of your support system. The secret was always rest, not more of anything. Have a kid who plays pro hockey and played a ton in the NHL. Same difference. It’s all about not making mistakes and reliability. There’s a saying in pro sports: steady wins. At a very high level. And finally very few can handle the pressure. What I’ve seen it does to guys is heart wrenching. That’s why the drugs ( mostly coke) and alcohol. Plus the travel sucks. Hugely.

Jul 8, 2016 at 9:47 pm

People get super bored in other sports like squash or Pro Hockey because that’s played in the same square box, unlike golf. We don’t get bored in golf. The variety of courses and locations and climates and vegetation really keeps us entertained and on our toes.

Jul 8, 2016 at 3:01 pm

haven’t read all coments, but anyone pointed out the fact that it compares all rounds of pga to scratch players rounds that were played to scratch.

a big difference is tour players bad days are sooooo much better than a scratch’s bad day.

a 74 bad day for a tour player is still most likely even to or under the course rating, while a scratch’s 79 bad day is several shots higher than course rating.

take all these shots and now multiply them over 4 consecutive days, and pga guys are 25-40 shots better than mr. scratch if paired up over 4 rounds in pga event.

Jul 8, 2016 at 4:32 pm

That’s it. It’s a lot more a matter of the worst rounds than the best rounds.

Check out how few bogeys the top half or two-thirds of tour players make on average, and it really gets eye-opening at that point.

Jul 8, 2016 at 2:49 pm

I heard a while back that Jim walker set a tournament at his home course prior to the Presidents cup and played as a +9. I play with + 4 and +5 once in a while. They have both said they are 3 solid strokes away from making money. My friend the +5 entered an amateur tournament where Graham Delete was also playing, he was a +7 at the time. By the way my friend the +5 was also ranked 50th in the World Ameteur rankings a few years back.

Jul 8, 2016 at 2:13 pm

I’ve seen similar comparisons, but none better than this one.

There is, of course, that little factor called telling the truth. A lot of guys who say they’re scratch and who report scratch-level scores really aren’t.

I was a plus-2 when I was playing a lot, with pro aspirations (I did play for money at a lower level, and also taught), but I have to admit chickening out with regard to the big show because I didn’t think I was solid enough mechanically to keep hitting it well for four straight days every week. It wasn’t that easy to hold it together even for the two- or three-round tournaments I was already playing. Some weeks it was gold, and I’d shoot way under par, but too often swing flaws would start magnifying as the tournament went on. Some weeks I played like a plus-5 and would shoot easy 66s and 67s, other weeks it was more like a scratch or 1-handicap, struggling for 71s and 72s, even the occasional mid-70s, which would’ve given me a lot of weekends off on tour. I did hit it pretty long, over the tour average at the time, and I had a short game I would’ve put up against anybody’s. But I just thought the full swing needed some evolution. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe it was a matter of getting scared off by inconsistency when that’s the nature of the game. I still think maybe I was too perfectionistic — maybe should’ve tried it anyway, since players do work things out and have to continue to work things out when they’re out there. Overthinking, maybe.

Regardless, I can vouch for the fact that even a true scratch player is going to have to get better if he wants to play for a living. It’s not impossible with the right kinds of improvements and training, but I’m saying, you have to be aware of the true standard and at least get into that ballpark. And that’s for the people who are _actually_ scratch players, not the ones who think they’re scratch because they broke 70 once or twice and shoot some 72s and 73s here and there. (You know the guys — the ones who always shoot 79 when they’re playing with you.)

Bigleftygolfer

Jul 9, 2016 at 11:28 am

Well said, I completely agree with your post I had a similar life story and what makes me sleep better is the thought of I completely committed myself and was not good enough. I can live with that and i would not look at your story as being scared I would look at it as true introspection realizing there was a big gap with your ability to guarantee a living! This is nothing to be ashamed of! I would be lying if I did not dream about the tour everytime I shoot a sub 70 round but usually by the time I post the score and see all of the 75+ rounds in my GHIN I quickly get a dose of reality and instead have a beer at the bar and look forward to my office job come Monday morning!

Also to support your decision my buddy who made money and a living before retiring playing on the NIKE tour use to tell me if you can’t have a real chance of owning the course record at every local club that you play then odds are you wont make a penny on tour and that includes the nike (now web.com) tours! As I stated in another post this guy broke the record at my local club first time he saw it years after he stopped playing competitively and he never earned a full time PGA tour card he was just a full time A-3 that is how good these guys are! Anybody not believing that the PGA tour guys are ten strokes better than scratch golfers are truly delusional and just trying to support a dream that they can one day play on tour.I would assume that most of these guys denying the greatness of a PGA tour pro can’t even beat their local club pro with regularity.

Jul 8, 2016 at 1:55 pm

One key distinction to make is the tour player stats are always calculated at tournaments whereas the scratch golfer typically playing home course (in general) isn’t playing tournament golf…he/she is not stepping on the tee thinking “If i hit two out of bounds off the tee, I still gotta finish the hole”…so BIG difference between tournament golf and playing home course with your buddies scratch golf. That’s why so many golfers at my home course with vanity handicaps shoot their WAD in the club championship and struggle to break 80 putting them all out, taking all penalties correctly, etc. REALLY good article but I concur with several other comments, 5 stroke difference is not really close…I have a hand full of friends who were all-american Div 1 golfers who never could get their tour card…and they’re DAMN good.

Pingback: Rooster

Jul 8, 2016 at 12:32 pm

I’d love to see this analysis for scratch vs 5 hdcp, 10, 15 hdcp.

Jul 8, 2016 at 1:08 pm

I’d bet the margin between “scratch” and tour is much wider than scratch and 5. In fact, I would even imagine the margin between scratch and +2 is wider than scratch and 5.

Jul 8, 2016 at 2:34 pm

That’s in line with the idea of standard deviations, and I’d say you’re right.

Jul 8, 2016 at 3:37 pm

agree. the Tour Pros are playing a different game.

Greg Guyotte

Jul 8, 2016 at 12:24 pm

Let’s not forget a few other advantages pga tour pros have.

1) Great caddies. Vs. No caddy. Huge advantage getting help reading every putt, with research that already tells you which way is breaking and roughly how much. Information advantage. 2) near ideal conditions. You won’t find yourself in an unraked bunker, or inconsistent conditions hole to hole. 3) worst misses often not penalized. The number of free drops tour pros get due to grandstands, tv towers, cables, etc is not insignificant. Not to mention galleries which keep shots in play. 4) unlimited time to play and practice, 5) best in the world coaching 6) all the time you need to make your body the best it can be 7) equipment companies that put you in the best stuff and have you perfectly fit.

I agree with most of the comments, PGA tour pros are amazing. However, i think living the life of a tour pro clearly makes you even better than you otherwise would be.

Jul 8, 2016 at 1:05 pm

I’m really glad you brought this up, because it’s all true.

I’m a +2 and a number of scores that are included in my calculation are from courses that I have played only once. I enjoy traveling and playing different courses, but it somewhat penalizes what my actual handicap could be, as I’m playing many of these courses “blind.” If I had multiple practice rounds, a yardage book, and a good caddie, I’d have a decided advantage. Now, I can still shoot under par on courses I play for the first time, but this usually comes from taking the conservative route and playing a course that doesn’t have very many blind shots.

On that same token, my best round at my home course is 8-under, and my course handicap for that course is +4 (rating 73.1, slope 133). I know all the little ins and outs like the back of my hand and know the breaks on every green. As someone mentioned earlier, people who play the majority of their rounds at their home course will have handicaps that are skewed a little lower than they should be. You have to have a game that travels in order to really know your true handicap.

However, what people don’t think about is the discrepancy regarding the 2 situations I just mentioned. Scratch players are often penalized vs tour pros when it comes to playing new courses, but they also gain points if they have a home course they play consistently. Golfers who play a good mix of their home courses and other courses probably play to a handicap very similar to what their calculated number shows, while those that always play new courses are probably a little better than what is stated on the card.

I’m used to thinking in terms of “me” and how I relate to a tour pro and I can tell you for a fact the only difference is time and commitment. I know I could make it, but how “long” it takes to make it would be the question. Most will never have the chance to even try because of the strain it would put on their families and themselves financially. Q-school is meant to be expensive to ward away people who aren’t 100% serious about the commitment and I think that’s a good thing. Time and commitment lead to the overall biggest difference…. consistency.

I have no doubts I’d be right up there with the longest hitters on tour, and I definitely putt better on faster greens and play better overall on courses that are well manicured. My issue is still and will always seem to be consistency off the tee. One day I’m striping it, the next I’m fighting a hook, and the next I’m blocking every other tee shot out to the right. I have played at least 5 rounds this year where I’ve racked up 5 or more penalty strokes as a result of tee shots only and still broke 75. It’s frustrating, but it’s the game I’ll always have unless I commit time to practice. Sometimes we have to commit more time to our families and jobs and I think in the long run that’s most important. And on that note, I commend these tour players (especially those on web.com and mini tours) for living this life. Not all of them enjoy the security that the top guys do.

Jul 8, 2016 at 2:38 pm

Pretty much what happened with me. I hear ya. (See reply in the Facebook-format questions above to Jim Kruppa, re things that tend to get better with experience and time, versus the true differentiators.)

Oct 9, 2021 at 7:18 pm

The Tour and golf in general is:

1. Promotional. They have to hype it up.

2.Gaslighting. People will constantly tell you something that your own eyes knows is not true. A +5 handicap can’t beat any Tour pro. You’re not good enough. These people have magical abilities. Oh, and don’t look at the half of the field’s scores that miss the cut.

3. You have to fake it til you make it. The powers that be will decide whether you are good enough: the media, the golf commentators. Ever noticed how golf commentary is completely condescending to a “regular” tour pro who is leading an event? He’s “hanging in there”. He’s not Phil, so he can never be in the club. Case in point: Koepka. Won majors left, right and center and STILL had his nerve questioned. He can’t get in the club.

Jul 8, 2016 at 10:47 am

Good work on the statistics and analysis. But the difference between a scratch player and a tour guy is not only 5 strokes, but more like +10.

Just like all the quality comments, if you put the “traveling (unfamiliarity), insane green speed, tough pin locations, stink height of rough, total distance (7200-7400 vs 6600-6800), tens of thousands people watching and live TV broadcast, pressure from both inside and outside (such as sucker media), and some many other factors that a scratch player would not be exposed to during his normal condition. A scratch player will have little chance to break 80 in a PGA or even Web.com tournament, while the pros shot their 60s.

Just as the Fedex ad says “These people are good”. They are not only good, they are unbelievably amazing.

Jul 8, 2016 at 2:44 pm

Okay, but how meaningful is that kind of comparison (as in, what a local scratch player would shoot _today_ if thrown into the crucible on an unfamiliar course)?

Seems to me the more meaningful comparison has to do with what the real differences are in the quality of game — what level of ballstriking it takes, how good the short game has to be, how good bogey avoidance is, etc., once the amateur is over the shock of spectators, pressure, unfamiliarity, etc.

Jul 8, 2016 at 6:11 am

The 255 yard driving distance for the scratch player is shorter than I would have thought? With tour average clubhead speed around 112mph, a Zach Johnson about 108-110, I’d say most scratch players would easily fall in the 105-110 range. So at 2-3 yards per mph, how do we get a 33 yard difference? Faster fairway conditions?

Mongo McMichael

Jul 8, 2016 at 12:56 pm

I think you’re on to something with the fairway conditions. They always seem to shave them down for tour events.

Jul 8, 2016 at 1:16 pm

I would imagine that data concerning statistics for scratch golfers (outside of raw score) is probably not very reliable. How many people keep track of driving distance? How many people find they hit the ball different distances on the course vs the launch monitor? We also tend to forget that these driving distances include holes where certain players hit less than driver and others hit driver.

Think of this as an example…

So far this year, Dustin Johnson is averaging 312.5 yards off the tee. Yet, he routinely hits drivers that carry 320 to 330 yards in the air. If the tour only calculated driving distance on tee shots hit with drivers, the margin between tour pros and scratch would be EVEN WIDER! The tour average would be much closer to 300 yards.

Jul 8, 2016 at 1:42 pm

Well stated. That’s another excellent point.

Jul 8, 2016 at 3:14 pm

Not sure about that. Here is Zach Johnson for example in 2016-average distance 281.5 yards, average ch speed 106.5 (fastest 109, slowest 103) from over 50 measured tee shots. Ok a lot of centred hits with good launch conditions, but still that’s a long average off a modest clubhead speed.

Jul 9, 2016 at 12:25 pm

He also hits it on the sweetspot most of the time.

And to respond to the higher level post, scratch golfers are not required to play from the tips are they?

Jul 8, 2016 at 1:24 pm

You’re spot on with the fairways. I’ve played a few tour venues a week or so before events and the fairways are like concrete. I typically drive it around 285-295 and on the firm and fast fairways I averaged north of 315 (when hitting driver). The ball just runs so much. I agree that the rough is really penal, but if you keep it in the fairway, a 7400 yd tour course plays closer to a 6800 yd public course

Jul 8, 2016 at 2:48 pm

Faster fairways matter, but it’s also true that clubhead speed isn’t all there is to long hitting. The better player’s angle of approach is almost always shallower and more efficient, and more from the inside relative to body lines, both of those factors being related, of course (if you get even fractionally outside the right inside path approaching the ball, you’re going to be steeper than you should be). And contact is generally more consistently on the right spot on the clubface. Those factors at any given speed make a significant difference.

Jul 8, 2016 at 3:43 am

Scratch golfers average 255 off the tee? That’s LPGA range and LPGA players are probably better in every other category. Levels below PGA pros.

Jul 8, 2016 at 1:36 pm

Remember that scratch golfers should be playing the back tees at any course, which probably averages around 7,000 yards for a par 72. On the LPGA Website, it lists the average courses played being between 6,200 and 6,600 yards. So, in reality, the LPGA pros are left with closer approach shots on average, which would definitely boost stats when compared with a longer approach.

It would be interesting to find out how many scratch golfers are playing the correct tees and also playing courses that are long enough. Courses that are shorter are often rated lower, but for someone who drives the ball straight as a string every time would benefit more from a shorter course than they’d be hurt by the rating going down.

Jul 8, 2016 at 3:32 am

I think visually, when you watch Mark Crossfield play against Euro tour pros, you can see the difference between scratch (I think he is probably a +1 to scratch golfer even though his short game stinks right now). Tour players have an edge in terms of distance, accuracy, short game, and even putting. So tough to be a tour player. You have to excel in all aspects. Driving 280 average is not enough. 300 is better. 320 is not necessary, since most guys who lead the field in distance are not even the leaders. It takes a serious dedication to fitness and training to reach those levels. Gone are the days when players could survive on talent and a beer gut.

Jul 8, 2016 at 2:50 pm

A 280 average is in fact enough, if you’re good enough in other ways.

And when exactly were the days “when players could survive on talent and a beer gut”?

Jul 9, 2016 at 12:30 pm

I think from the 80’s to 2000’s. Tiger Woods pretty much changed golf fitness.

I think 280 is enough, but it makes it harder overall as regularly it seems it’s the guys averaging 300 winning. The approach shots are just that much closer in a game of a few stroke differences. Even Spieth who doesn’t consider himself long averages 296.

Jul 10, 2016 at 10:14 pm

Yes, he caused the PGA Tour to start requiring to pee in a cup.

Jan 6, 2017 at 9:15 am

Amazing that a golfer can change golf fitness 7 years before his first pro event..

Jul 18, 2016 at 12:33 pm

Stadler x2, Lietzke, Daly, Casper, Trevino, Knost, Mayfair, Herron, Petterson, Fat Jack, Bob Murphy, Maltbie, Barr, Blackmar, Zoeller… Just a small example of current and past players who survive(d) on talent and a beer belly.

Jul 8, 2016 at 12:58 am

Pretty much right i played on a european tour setup off same tees as the tour pros ,having walked and scored as marshall for the top pros i saw the reality between them and us.my best score is a 66 and imconsidered long at my club. They hit it 3 clubs longer in drives so im hitting a 5 iron in when they were hitting 8 irons. They get it up and down from anywhere. Their long putting is superb. This was my personal experience and this does not factor in pressure which is another 5/6 shots more for amateurs.

Jul 7, 2016 at 7:46 pm

Great article but tough to compare scratch golfers who more than likely have another full time occupation to the guys who have everything at their disposal and only have to worry about getting better.

Jul 7, 2016 at 6:45 pm

Most of the guys I know that are scratch, aren’t scratch every course they go to. Surround those same scratch players with a few thousand people lining the fairway and dead silence when they’re putting and see what happens to their scores.

Jul 7, 2016 at 6:04 pm

Being a scratch player, I think this is pretty spot on if not a little generous to the scratch player. As soon as you add pressure most scratch players I play against go to water and barely break 80. Especially of the back tees. I would add though, I am sure I would play a few shots better per round if I played full time, played perfect conditions, had a full time caddy and a coach on call and had my equipment made by the tour van.

Jul 8, 2016 at 3:52 pm

Just the lost balls alone would account for a few strokes!

Jul 7, 2016 at 5:37 pm

As someone who carried a +3 to +4 for a few years, I think you’re still a ways off. Played with guys that couldn’t play nationwide with a +6 or 7 and my college coach who won on Hogan/Nationwide tour and played 9-10 US Opens, but couldn’t make it on tour with an UNREAL short game. These tour guys are serious good. The difference between Pro and Scratch is much larger than Scratch and a 5 handicap. Even if numbers-wise its only 5-6 shots, the quality of golf is in a completely different league. I would think the difference between a +3 and Pro on a Tour course is more than 5 a round.

Jul 8, 2016 at 1:43 pm

The biggest difference this article does not discuss is the mental side of things. Some guys just aren’t built for the tour and can’t hack it. If you play with them in a relaxed situation, they play like a superhero, but get them under the bright lights and things change. They are not bad golfers or bad people, it just takes a special type of mental talent to compete at the highest level.

Jul 8, 2016 at 2:54 pm

If you played with guys who were plus-6 or plus-7 and couldn’t play on the Nationwide, they either weren’t actually at that level (all home-course, no competitive play, whatever) or they had some kind of competitive block going on. Anybody who’s at that level for real, on competitive golf courses, has got a game good enough to play for a living. The question is whether they have a head good enough to play for a living.

Jul 7, 2016 at 5:19 pm

I didn’t need this article to confirm the average PGA tour player is much better than a scratch golfer. I already knew that but I do find it hard to believe the avg scratch golfer only averages 255 of the tee. I’m much longer than that and play with guys all the time on this Am tour I’m a member of that hit it past me.

Jul 7, 2016 at 5:03 pm

When Scratch player plays there are no spotters on the course to look for errant shots, and he’s not playing for millions of dollars. This study means nothing. But it has to be done.

You really think the pros gain a bunch of strokes on scratch players because they have spotters on the course?

Jul 7, 2016 at 5:59 pm

I sometimes lose 2-3 balls a round in the rough just off the fairway. Never happens to a touring pro with galleries, marshals and spotters present. So right off the bat the touring pro has two strokes on me every round.

Jul 7, 2016 at 9:25 pm

Smizzlers… always enjoy your comments even when they make no sense. Keep an eye on that grammar there, son…

Jul 8, 2016 at 10:57 am

You’re wrong. I’m a 3. Wanna play for smizzle bucks?

Jul 8, 2016 at 2:55 pm

Yeah, just ignore the snark and keep playing.

Jul 7, 2016 at 4:38 pm

One thing I didn’t see in the comments was the fact that the non-tour players are often not quite as strict with the rules – improper drops, gimmes, etc. It’s amazing how many people’s scores shoot up when they have to count everything, have to go back to the tee box when they lose one in the woods, etc.

I once played a practice round with guys that were going to play in a Monday qualifier for what’s now the Web.com tour. I was a 6 at the time, and my regular playing partner was a +.4. I remember thinking afterwards that the gap between me and my buddy was much smaller than the gap between him and these guys – and they weren’t even on the AAA tour yet. It’s easier said than done, but the scratch golfer just needs to drive it about 250 and in play, hit most greens and two putt, and miss in good enough spots to get up and down most of the time. Sneak in a couple of birdies to offset a couple of bogeys. Do this half the time and you’re scratch. That’s pretty much what my buddy did. The quality of the shots by the Web.com qualifiers was on a totally different level.

Jul 9, 2016 at 7:38 pm

RIGHT ON and the worst thing ever is to get in a blind draw 4 man scrabble (A<B<C<D players) and have an A player that got his 7 handicap not 100% following the rules or playing from short tees or even being selective with his postings….it is called the "REVERSE SANDBAGGER"….and it happens almost as much as the 7 playing as a 12.

Jul 7, 2016 at 3:34 pm

The Percentage Difference Between A Scratch Golfer And A PGA pro.

Jul 7, 2016 at 2:59 pm

-3 and -5, right?

Jul 7, 2016 at 6:26 pm

no, +3 and +5 means 3 and 5 under, respectively.

Jul 7, 2016 at 2:32 pm

Jul 7, 2016 at 2:06 pm

I read an article somewhere that said close to the same thing. It also said that for any given week on Tour the Winner was playing to the equivalent of a +10

Jul 8, 2016 at 2:57 pm

Love to see the methodology for that. A plus-10 most weeks would mean scores in the 24-to-30-under-par range, which…no.

Jul 9, 2016 at 11:09 am

Actually not true when you consider the scoring average and slope for a PGA tour course would be a conservative 76/77 / 155+ slope once you consider this the average winning four round score is right in line with the numbers being posted.

Jul 7, 2016 at 2:04 pm

Makes it even harder when by the math you are only suppose to shoot your handicap 24% of the time, so Tour Pros are 5.5 shots better than a scratch player 24% of the time and even better the other 76% of the time.

The math; Handicap is 10 best out of last 20 scores so 50% and then its the Average Differential of those 10 scores so 25% of the time and then you multiply by .96 so 24% of the time.

Jul 8, 2016 at 12:25 am

That’s well explained, thanks Matt.

Jul 7, 2016 at 2:00 pm

Good info. As a +1 that tried mini toiurs years ago, distance and consistency from outside 175 were always what I felt held me back, and this confirms it.

I think it will be even more so over the next 10 years. Kids just kill the ball now. My 14 year old flies it 300. Even at my peak I hit it 285 with roll. The game is for bombers that play aggressive. Kill it. Aim for the pin. Worry about the rest later.

Jul 7, 2016 at 5:23 pm

Spieth, Sneds, Furyk, ZJ, McDowell, Stricker all find success without killing the ball.

Jul 7, 2016 at 11:42 pm

If Spieth kills the ball…then DJ would nuke it…

Jul 8, 2016 at 1:47 pm

yes, that’s correct

TheCityGame

Jul 7, 2016 at 1:54 pm

It is important to note that this isn’t a PGA average against scratch golfer. This is a PGA average against the 10 best of the last 20 rounds of scratch golfers. As you said, ” the rounds when Mr. Scratch actually played to his 0 handicap.” It’s ALL the PGA rounds (good and bad) against the GOOD rounds of Mr. Scratch.

Still, people aren’t going to believe you.

This punctures the myth that OMG THESE GUYS ARE GODS!!! That they’re +8’s and +10’s.

I don’t think teeing it up under “PGA Pressure” has any effect on these guy’s scores, either. Yeah, it might for Joe Schmo teeing it up in a pro-am. These guys got there because they play well under pressure.

Interesting write-up. Thanks.

Jul 7, 2016 at 3:22 pm

Yes, you’ve made good points that I agree with, and the one I was going to add was this:

Tour players are looking at a new course every week. They are playing out of hotel rooms and suitcases; flying week to week, and can’t just decide not to play because of a sore back or an nasty argument with a wife or because they just don’t feel like playing that day because it is too hot or too windy or nasty.

It is a phenomenally difficult task, to be on all the time and to play at that level when the schedule tells you that that is when you play. And almost never get to spend the night of a tournament in your own bed.

True, but lots of people have jobs that require physical action under difficult conditions. As for the “new course” aspect, that unfamiliarity goes away with practice rounds and repeated years, and they get yardages marked to the inch, not to mention caddies who tend to know the place.

That’s not to say they’re not skilled. It’s just that they’re not as superhuman as portrayed. They’re highly skilled humans who have developed those skills over time and experience, like anybody who’s really good at a job.

Jul 9, 2016 at 11:05 am

No they are superhuman at golf! I have played alongside these guys and to the casual observer one may think there are similarities between a good amateur and a tour player but take my word for it the gap is absolutely 8-10 strokes!

Jul 7, 2016 at 1:49 pm

With the time to practice like a tour player I suspect the scratch golfer’s short game would improve significantly.

Jul 7, 2016 at 1:28 pm

You need to add to your statement about being a +3 to make it on the PGA Tour. You need to be a +3 and play everywhere, not just at your home course that you know like the back of your hand.

Jul 7, 2016 at 2:02 pm

Helps to hit it where you want it to go.

Jul 8, 2016 at 2:15 pm

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The wedge guy: what really makes a wedge work part 1.

Of all the clubs in our bags, wedges are almost always the simplest in construction and, therefore, the easiest to analyze what might make one work differently from another if you know what to look for.

Wedges are a lot less mysterious than drivers, of course, as the major brands are working with a lot of “pixie dust” inside these modern marvels. That’s carrying over more to irons now, with so many new models featuring internal multi-material technologies, and almost all of them having a “badge” or insert in the back to allow more complex graphics while hiding the actual distribution of mass.

But when it comes to wedges, most on the market today are still single pieces of molded steel, either cast or forged into that shape. So, if you look closely at where the mass is distributed, it’s pretty clear how that wedge is going to perform.

To start, because of their wider soles, the majority of the mass of almost any wedge is along the bottom third of the clubhead. So, the best wedge shots are always those hit between the 2nd and 5th grooves so that more mass is directly behind that impact. Elite tour professionals practice incessantly to learn to do that consistently, wearing out a spot about the size of a penny right there. If impact moves higher than that, the face is dramatically thinner, so smash factor is compromised significantly, which reduces the overall distance the ball will fly.

Every one of us, tour players included, knows that maddening shot that we feel a bit high on the face and it doesn’t go anywhere, it’s not your fault.

If your wedges show a wear pattern the size of a silver dollar, and centered above the 3rd or 4th groove, you are not getting anywhere near the same performance from shot to shot. Robot testing proves impact even two to three grooves higher in the face can cause distance loss of up to 35 to 55 feet with modern ‘tour design’ wedges.

In addition, as impact moves above the center of mass, the golf club principle of gear effect causes the ball to fly higher with less spin. Think of modern drivers for a minute. The “holy grail” of driving is high launch and low spin, and the driver engineers are pulling out all stops to get the mass as low in the clubhead as possible to optimize this combination.

Where is all the mass in your wedges? Low. So, disregarding the higher lofts, wedges “want” to launch the ball high with low spin – exactly the opposite of what good wedge play requires penetrating ball flight with high spin.

While almost all major brand wedges have begun putting a tiny bit more thickness in the top portion of the clubhead, conventional and modern ‘tour design’ wedges perform pretty much like they always have. Elite players learn to hit those crisp, spinny penetrating wedge shots by spending lots of practice time learning to consistently make contact low in the face.

So, what about grooves and face texture?

Grooves on any club can only do so much, and no one has any material advantage here. The USGA tightly defines what we manufacturers can do with grooves and face texture, and modern manufacturing techniques allow all of us to push those limits ever closer. And we all do. End of story.

Then there’s the topic of bounce and grinds, the most complex and confusing part of the wedge formula. Many top brands offer a complex array of sole configurations, all of them admittedly specialized to a particular kind of lie or turf conditions, and/or a particular divot pattern.

But if you don’t play the same turf all the time, and make the same size divot on every swing, how would you ever figure this out?

The only way is to take any wedge you are considering and play it a few rounds, hitting all the shots you face and observing the results. There’s simply no other way.

So, hopefully this will inspire a lively conversation in our comments section, and I’ll chime in to answer any questions you might have.

And next week, I’ll dive into the rest of the wedge formula. Yes, shafts, grips and specifications are essential, too.

Golf's Perfect Imperfections

Golf’s perfect imperfections: amazing session with performance coach savannah meyer-clement.

In this week’s episode, we spent some time with performance coach Savannah Meyer-Clement who provides many useful insights that you’ll be able to implement on the golf course.

Vincenzi’s 2024 RBC Heritage betting preview: Patrick Cantlay ready to get back inside winner’s circle

Just a two-hour drive from Augusta National, the PGA TOUR heads to Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Hilton Head Island is a golfer’s paradise and Harbour Town is one of the most beautiful and scenic courses on the PGA TOUR.

Harbour Town Golf Links is a par-71 that measures 7,121 yards and features Bermuda grass greens. A Pete Dye design, the course is heavily tree lined and features small greens and many dog legs, protecting it from “bomb-and-gauge” type golfers.

The field is loaded this week with 69 golfers with no cut. Last year was quite possibly the best field in RBC Heritage history and the event this week is yet another designated event, meaning there is a $20 million prize pool.

Most of the big names on the PGA Tour will be in attendance this week with the exceptions of Hideki Matsuyama and Viktor Hovland. Additionally, Webb Simpson, Shane Lowry, Gary Woodland and Kevin Kisner have been granted sponsors exemptions. 

Past Winners at Harbour Town

• 2023: Matt Fitzpatrick (-17)
• 2022: Jordan Spieth (-13)
• 2021: Stewart Cink (-19)
• 2020: Webb Simpson (-22)
• 2019: CT Pan (-12)
• 2018: Sotoshi Kodaira (-12)
• 2017: Wesley Bryan (-13)
• 2016: Branden Grace (-9)
• 2015: Jim Furyk (-18)

In this article and going forward, I’ll be using the Rabbit Hole by Betsperts Golf data engine to develop my custom model. If you want to build your own model or check out all of the detailed stats, you can sign up using promo code: MATTVIN for 25% off any subscription package (yearly is best value).

Key Stats For Harbour Town

Let’s take a look at key metrics for Harbour Town Golf Links to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their past 24 rounds.

Strokes Gained: Approach

Strokes Gained: Approach is exceedingly important this week. The greens at Harbour Town are about half the size of PGA TOUR average and feature the second-smallest greens on the tour. Typical of a Pete Dye design, golfers will pay the price for missed greens.

Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds

• Scottie Scheffler  (+1.27)
• Tom Hoge  (+1.27)
• Corey Conners  (+1.16)
• Austin Eckroat  (+0.95)
• Cameron Young  (+0.93)

Good Drive %

The fairways at Harbour Town are tree lined and feature many dog legs. Bombers tend to struggle at the course because it forces layups and doesn’t allow long drivers to overpower it. Accuracy is far more important than power.

Good Drive % Over Past 24 Rounds

• Brice Garnett  (88.8%)
• Shane Lowry  (+87.2%)
• Akshay Bhatia  (+86.0%)
• Si Woo Kim  (+85.8%)
• Sepp Straka  (+85.1%)

Strokes Gained: Total at Pete Dye Designs

Pete Dye specialists tend to play very well at Harbour Town. Si Woo Kim, Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk and Webb Simpson are all Pete Dye specialists who have had great success here. It is likely we see some more specialists near the top of the leaderboard this week.

SG: TOT Pete Dye per round over past 36 rounds:

• Xander Schauffele  (+2.27)
• Scottie Scheffler  (+2.24)
• Ludvig Aberg  (+2.11)
• Brian Harman  (+1.89)
• Sungjae Im  (+1.58)

4. Strokes Gained: Short Game (Bermuda)

Strokes Gained: Short Game factors in both around the green and putting. With many green-side bunkers and tricky green complexes, both statistics will be important. Past winners — such as Jim Furyk, Wes Bryan and Webb Simpson — highlight how crucial the short game skill set is around Harbour Town.

SG: SG Over Past 24 Rounds

• Jordan Spieth  (+1.11)
• Taylor Moore  (+1.02)
• Wyndham Clark  (+0.98)
• Mackenzie Hughes  (+0.86)
• Andrew Putnam  (+0.83)

5. Greens in Regulation %

The recipe for success at Harbour Town Golf Links is hitting fairways and greens. Missing either will prove to be consequential — golfers must be in total control of the ball to win.

Greens in Regulation % over past 24 rounds:

• Brice Garnett  (+75.0%)
• Scottie Scheffler  (+69.9%)
• Corey Conners  (+69.0%)
• Shane Lowry  (+68.3%)
• Patrick Rodgers  (+67.6%)

6. Course History

Harbour Town is a course where players who have strong past results at the course always tend to pop up. 

Course History over past 24 rounds:

• Patrick Cantlay  (+2.34)
• Cam Davis  (+2.05)
• J.T. Poston  (+1.69)
• Justin Rose  (+1.68)
• Tommy Fleetwood  (+1.59)

The RBC Heritage Model Rankings

Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (24%), Good Drives (20%), SG: SG (14%), SG: Pete Dye (14%), GIR (14%), and Course History (14%)

• Shane Lowry
• Russell Henley
• Scottie Scheffler
• Xander Schauffele
• Corey Conners 
• Wyndham Clark
• Christiaan Bezuidenhout
• Matt Fitzpatrick
• Cameron Young
• Ludvig Aberg  

2024 RBC Heritage Picks

Patrick Cantlay +2000 (FanDuel)

With the exception of Scottie Scheffler, the PGA Tour has yet to have any of their star players show peak form during the 2024 season. Last week, Patrick Cantlay, who I believe is a top-5 players on the PGA Tour, took one step closer to regaining the form that’s helped him win eight events on Tour since 2017.

Cantlay limped into the Masters in poor form, but figured it out at Augusta National, finishing in a tie for 20th and ranking 17th for the week in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. The former FedEx Cup champion will now head to one of his favorite golf courses in Harbour Town, where he’s had immaculate results over the years. In his six trips to the course, he’s only finished worse than 7th one time. The other finishes include three third places (2017, 2019, 2023) and one runner-up finish (2022). In his past 36 rounds at Harbour Town, Cantlay ranks 1st in Strokes Gained: Total per round at the course by a wide margin (+2.36).

Cantlay is winless since the 2022 BMW Championship, which is far too long for a player of his caliber. With signs pointing to the 32-year-old returning to form, a “signature event” at Harbour Town is just what he needs to get back on the winning track.

Tommy Fleetwood +3000 ( FanDuel )

I truly believe Tommy Fleetwood will figure out a way to win on American soil in 2024. It’s certainly been a bugaboo for him throughout his career, but he is simply too talented to go another season without winning a PGA Tour event.

At last week’s Masters Tournament, Fleetwood made a Sunday charge and ended up finishing T3 in the event, which was his best ever finish at The Masters. For the week, the Englishman ranked 8th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, 10th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking and 16th in Strokes Gained: Putting.

Harbour Town is a perfect layout for Fleetwood, and he’s had relative success at this Pete Dye design in the past.  In his four trips to the course, he’s finished inside of the top 25 three times, with his best finish, T10, coming in 2022. The course is pretty short and can’t be overpowered, which gives an advantage to more accurate players such as Fleetwood. Tommy ranks 8th in the field in Good Drive % and should be able to plot his way along this golf course.

The win is coming for Tommy lad. I believe there’s a chance this treasure of a golf course may be the perfect one for him to finally break through on Tour.

Cameron Young +3300 ( FanDuel )

Cameron Young had a solid Masters Tournament last week, which is exactly what I’m looking for in players who I anticipate playing well this week at the RBC Heritage. He finished in a tie for 9th, but never felt the pressure of contending in the event. For the week, Young ranked 6th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 6th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.

Despite being one of the longest players off the tee on the PGA Tour, Young has actually played some really good golf on shorter tracks. He finished T3 at Harbour Town in 2023 and ranks 20th in the field in Good Drive% and 16th in Greens in Regulation in his past 24 rounds. He also has strong finishes at other shorter courses that can take driver out of a players hand such as Copperhead and PGA National.

Young is simply one of the best players on the PGA Tour in 2024, and I strongly believe has what it takes to win a PGA Tour event in the very near future.

Corey Conners +5500 ( FanDuel )

Corey Conners has had a disappointing year thus far on the PGA Tour, but absolutely loves Harbour Town.

At last week’s Masters Tournament, the Canadian finished T30 but ranked 20th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach. In his past 24 rounds, Conners ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, 3rd in Greens in Regulation % and 24th in Good Drive %.

In Conners’ last four trips to Harbour Town, his worst finish was T31, last season. He finished T4 in 2021, T12 in 2022 and ranks 8th in Strokes Gained: Total at the course over his past 36 rounds.

Conners hasn’t been contending, but his recent finishes have been encouraging as he has finished in the top-25 in each of his past three starts prior to The Masters, including an impressive T13 at The PLAYERS. His recent improvement in ball striking as well as his suitability for Harbour Town makes Conners a high upside bet this week.

Shane Lowry (+7500) ( FanDuel )

When these odds were posted after Lowry was announced in the field, I have to admit I was pretty stunned. Despite not offering much win equity on the PGA Tour over the last handful of years, Shane Lowry is still a top caliber player who has the ability to rise to the top of a signature event.

Lowry struggled to score at The Masters last week, but he actually hit the ball really well. The Irishman ranked 1st for Strokes Gained: Approach on the week and 7th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. As usual, it was the putter that let him down, as he ranked 60th in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting.

Harbour Town is most definitely one of Lowry’s favorite courses on the PGA Tour. In his six starts there, he’s finished in the top 10 three times, including third twice. Lowry is sensational at Pete Dye designs and ranks 7th in Strokes Gained: Total in his past 36 rounds on Dye tracks. 

Lowry is perfect for Harbour Town. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 5th in Strokes Gained: Approach, 2nd in Good Drive% and 5th in Green in Regulation %. If he figures it out on the greens, Shane could have his first win in America since 2015.

Lucas Glover +12000 ( FanDuel )

This is one of my weekly “bet the number” plays as I strongly believe the odds are just too long for a player of Glover’s caliber. The odds have been too long on Glover for a few weeks now, but this is the first event that I can get behind the veteran being able to actually contend at. 

Glover is quietly playing good golf and returning to the form he had after the understandable regression after his two massive victories at the end of 2023. He finished T20 at The Masters, which was his best ever finish at Augusta National. For the week, Lucas ranked 18th for Strokes Gained: Approach and 20th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.

Over his past 24 rounds, Glover ranks 9th in Strokes Gained: Approach and 13th in Good Drive %. Harbour Town is a short course that the 44-year-old will be able to keep up with the top players on Tour off the tee. He’s played the course more than 20 times, with mixed results. His best finishes at Harbour Town include a T7 in 2008, but recently has a finish of T21 in 2020.

Glover has proven he can contend with the stars of the Tour on any given week, and this number is flat out disrespectful.

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Obtaining a Handicap Index under the World Handicap System

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The PGA has received a number of queries regarding their ability to   obtain a Handicap Index under the World Handicap System and any restrictions that may be in place.

A PGA Professional can obtain an initial Handicap Index in the same way an amateur golfer can, i.e. by submitting three scores directly to their golf club who are responsible for administering handicaps. Participation in any club competitions would be at the golf club committee’s discretion, and therefore it is advisable to discuss this with the golf club along with the club’s process for submitting scores in general play. Any further submitted scores and Handicap Index calculations would be in line with the R&A Rules of Handicapping which can be viewed here.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact the National Tournament Department on 01675 468380 or email [email protected]

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How to play in a PGA Tour pro-am and how do they work

If you've ever wanted to play golf with a professional golfer, then you should strongly consider playing in a PGA Tour pro-am. And how do you go about playing in a PGA Tour, or another professional tour, pro-am? It's remarkable simple, believe it or not.

Most PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, LIV Golf, Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Champions events have pro-ams that you can play in for the right amount of money, and, often times, each tournament has multiple options that will fit different budgets.

Typically, there's a Monday pro-am and a Wednesday pro-am at professional golf events that have them (the men's majors and most of the LPGA majors do not have them, for example).

How much does it cost to play in a pro-am?

The Monday pro-am typically features players that aren't nearly as well known as the ones who will be playing on Wednesday. That means playing in the Monday pro-am costs less money than the Wednesday pro-am. The cost can vary wildly, but playing as a solo player in a pro-am can cost anywhere from $2,500 to $10,000, save for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am , which is done by invitation and costs in upwards of $70,000 for a two-day event. Often times, groups can buy whole foursomes for a slight discount.

Ultimately, the proceeds from the pro-am help to defer some of the costs of running the tournament and also help fund the tournament's charitable contributions.

Ahead of the pro-am, there is typically a pairings party, where the amateurs learn their pro and get to enjoy some time with many of the players who will be competing in the tournament.

What is the format for a pro-am tournament?

The pro-am format at most professional golf events is a one-day affair, featuring one pro in a group with four amateurs. The format is typically a scramble or a shamble, with the amateurs' handicaps counting toward the best-ball score. The pros play from their tees and the amateurs play from up tees to make it easier. The winning score is typically sub-60, sometimes in the mid-50s, with a lot of birdies and eagles. Often times, there are two tournaments in a single pro-am day, with a morning and afternoon session, each running on their own.

When playing in a pro-am, it's a good idea to treat it just like any other casual round of golf. Don't ask the pro about winning. Don't talk about the course record. Don't try to show off. Don't get angry. It's a fun affair, and it's an opportunity, if you get a good pro, to make a great contact and have a good time.

Afterward, there's usually a reception and party where prizes are awarded.

If you're interested in playing in a PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, LIV Golf or PGA Tour Champions pro-am, find details by going to the website of the specific tournament or contacting the tournament office by phone.

About the author

Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is founder and editor of Golf News Net. He has been writing and broadcasting about golf for nearly 20 years. Ballengee lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his family. He is currently a +2.6 USGA handicap, and he has covered dozens of major championships and professional golf tournaments. He likes writing about golf and making it more accessible by answering the complex questions fans have about the pro game or who want to understand how to play golf better.

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How much is PGA Tour loyalty actually worth? Pros find out this week

Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler wait on a tee box during The Sentry earlier this year.

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The official word arrived on the last day of January, but it was not exactly news. The PGA Tour had finalized a deal with the Strategic Sports Group for an immediate investment of $1.5 billion into a new, for-profit entity named PGA Tour Enterprises. The names involved were not new — the likes of Steve Cohen, John Henry, Fenway Sports Group, etc., had been reportedly interested for months — but one major addendum was: an equity program.

Now, about three months after the announcement, PGA Tour players are about to find out what their loyalty has been worth. On Wednesday, Tour members will receive an email notifying them of the current value of award grants this program has earmarked for them, be it tens of millions of dollars, or none at all. The 193 eligible recipients will receive a letter from Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who is the CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises, explaining the number of equity units they receive and the fair market value of said equity. The Tour intends to keep the list of award recipients confidential.

“It’s really about making sure that our players know the PGA Tour is the best place to compete and showing them how much the Tour appreciates them being loyal,” Jason Gore, the Tour’s chief player officer, said in one of six informational videos the Tour produced for the membership. The videos, which were shared internally with Tour pros and their representatives, were accompanied by infographics, all of which were reviewed by GOLF.com.

In the age of LIV Golf offering mega-millions in contracts to elite golfers, these figures matter, particularly for PGA Tour loyalists who passed on lucrative guaranteed contracts that would be worth more than PGA Tour Enterprises equity could ever offer them.

How much players decide to talk about their individual equity will be up to them, but as you will read below, the total value of each grant differ by player. On the day that specific criteria was announced, it was a hot topic among players.

Which equity group am I in? Wait, which equity group is he in? 

So, how does it work? 

The Tour has announced these equity grants under one specific word: opportunity. Xander Schauffele will not receive a life-size, $50 million check. Players will not see their bank account immediately increase. (In fact, as we’ll explain below, it will take quite some time before that happens.) They will strictly receive a capital interest award for a specific piece of PGA Tour Enterprises. Based on a myriad of factors, players will be ranked via a specific number of “membership units,” akin to stake in a company, the value of which will vest over a specific amount of time. High-performing players will receive a greater stake in PGA Tour Enterprises, which will be home to the Tour’s commercial operations. That’s where SSG’s money is going, which they hope will increase in value of over time. 

How much value are we talking? 

Even if 193 players receive grants, they will not be shared equally. Nick Taylor and Tiger Woods are not going to receive the same cut. The recipients are sectioned into four groups, with Group 1 seeing $750 million in value doled out to 36 players. That’s a little more than 80% of the prize going to just a few dozen pros, which grabbed headlines when it was first reported . In this group will be the kind of players who have rated well in the Player Impact Program, won many tournaments, and won important tournaments — like Signature Events or player-hosted invitationals — with an emphasis on the last five years. 

Why should players own the PGA Tour? This guy knows better than most

A major factor in determining who is in Group 1 and who isn’t was a metric called Career Points, which emphasizes consistency as a Tour member and success throughout a player’s career. Players receive points based on the amount of years they were a PGA Tour member (playing in 15+ events), the amount of times they reached the Tour Championship, their amount of official Tour victories and even extra points for prominent victories (majors, Players Championships, WGCs, FedEx Cup titles, etc.). 

For example, some back-of-the-envelope math tallies up 528 Career Points for Woods, and just 199 for Rory McIlroy. Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas have both accrued a similar number just shy of 100. All four players are expected to be part of Group 1 and will all receive significant awards, but the difference in Career Points is expected to derive some difference in the value. Bottom line: Woods will receive the greatest grant valuation (potentially by a wide margin) and McIlroy’s will be second.

What if you’re not a premier player? 

The PGA Tour is successful because of those top 36 players, but it is rooted in the existence of many other members who back-fill the fields of the biggest stages in golf, week-in and week-out. An extra $75 million of value will be issued to a total of 64 players considered “steady performers and up-and-comers.” The individual totals of those grants will pale in comparison to the Group 1 grants, and will be based on FedEx Cup points earned over the last three years. Finally, Group 3 members, a total of 57 players, will earn from a pile of $30 million based on tournaments won, career money and number of times finishing in the top 125 of the FedEx Cup. And Group 4 members, who are considered “past legends,” will see 36 players receive their share of $75 million in equity based, again, on Career Points. 

Recipients must be ELIGIBLE

This rules out LIV golfers from earning any of the initial grants, despite some of them helping build the Tour into what it is today. In an alternate universe, Phil Mickelson would have earned the second-highest award grant (behind only Woods), but he will receive nothing because he is not eligible. He is a lifetime member of the PGA Tour but has incurred hefty suspensions from his involvement with LIV Golf. (It is worth wondering: Does this injection of investment and new, for-profit company exist without Mickelson’s help forming LIV Golf? Probably not.)

Even in a world where the PGA Tour comes to an agreement with the Saudi PIF on further investment, this chunk of value will be earmarked for the 193 players who built the popularity of the Tour and continue deriving future value for it, all while remaining loyal. Does it include space for a grant for players like Chesson Hadley, who last June stated he would like to be rewarded for his decision to stay loyal? Hadley has won zero times in the last decade, so he would be hoping for one of the 57 Group 3 grants, which isn’t necessarily likely.

Another important point of eligibility is that recipients must be living. Thirty-six players will receive “Past legends” grants, which cannot be awarded posthumously. Jack Nicklaus is bound to receive a grant. Arnold Palmer cannot.

Players must WORK to receive their grant value

It’s going to be a long time before any Tour players receive the monetary value from these equity grants. The initial grants will vest on an eight-year timeline with multiple checkpoints: 50% of the grant value will vest after four years, with an extra 25% vesting after six years and the final 25% vesting after eight years, but only if players follow the rules. In a world where the PGA Tour and the Saudi PIF do not come to an agreement, Tour players who would leave for LIV (or other unauthorized events) will forfeit any unvested equity.

For the equity to vest, players must “provide services” each year of the vesting schedule. For most, those services are simple: just play PGA Tour events. Fully-exempt players who play 15 or more Tour events annually will meet that year’s requirement. Competing on the Korn Ferry and Champions tours also suffices, with DP World Tour events being approved on a case-by-case basis. In other words, if a fully-healthy McIlroy plays 14 Tour events and the BMW PGA Championship (a marquee event on the DP World Tour), he would need an approval for that final event to count as one of his 15. (It probably would.) 

But what if, say, McIlroy strains an oblique before reaching his 15-event threshold in 2027? He (and players in similar situations battling injuries or lacking Tour status or being over the age of 60) could make up for an under-15-event total by performing a Service Event. Things such as meeting with Tour sponsors or filming a documentary with the Tour, all of which are approved by the Tour. (There is some slight wiggle room in these requirements, where a player could make up for falling just short one year by doing more in the following year.) Even if the nuts and bolts of this program can be complex, the Tour has tried to make it simple: play your golf, and your equity will vest. If life changes and circumstances arise, there are other ways to meet requirements.

Players cannot cash out for years (and they will be taxed)

Players can sell their equity only when it is vested, but they will also be taxed on those vesting dates.

Lance Stover, senior vice president of New Ventures at the Tour, explained a bit of the dollars and cents on the final educational video: “As with all forms of compensation … at each vesting milestone [years 4, 6 and 8 after the initial grants], players will be responsible for paying federal and state income taxes at ordinary income tax rates on the fair market value of the vested awards at the time of vesting.” So players will begin to be taxed on the value of their equity four years from now.

Importantly, the implication — of both the investment from SSG and from equity dished to players — is that PGA Tour Enterprises will continue to increase in value as the Tour moves forward. Almost all major sports leagues and franchises have seen their valuations skyrocket in recent years, and there’s little reason to suggest the PGA Tour would experience anything different, even if TV ratings have dipped in the first part of 2024.

The initial SSG investment valued the PGA Tour at $12.3 billion, and there is clearly still room for future investment from the Saudi PIF . The Tour’s television rights deal runs through 2030, but negotiations for the next deal will begin in just a few years. All of these things can impact the valuation of PGA Tour Enterprises at the point at which player equity would vest.

But wait! There’s more equity

Keen observers will note that these initial grants are devoted only to those who have made the Tour the best place for pros to compete in the world. But what about those who will continue making it the best place for competitive golf? More grants are on the way.

Beginning in 2025, each PGA Tour season will see additional grants awarded to the top performers on Tour — $100 million in grant value will be issued to roughly 20 players each year, based on Career Points (explained above) and Player Impact Program results that year. So someone like, say, Ludvig Aberg , who didn’t play on the PGA Tour during many of the years that formed this initial grant offering, will likely fare well with good performances in the years to come.

The OTHER big idea here 

The PGA Tour wants players to be rewarded for their loyalty, to maintain that loyalty, but also to begin thinking like an owner. Like player-owners, who are focused on the Tour with the actions they make and the words they say. The Tour wants all its constituents rowing in the same direction, and they figure this program should help inspire that shared mindset.

“Owners are motivated to think beyond their personal performance week-to-week and year-to-year,” Gore said in one of the videos. “They have a broader perspective of how their actions can impact the long term health and performance of the Tour in a positive way. One that meets the needs of our fans at every turn. It’s no longer a what’s in it for me as much as it should be what’s in it for the growth of the Tour, which of course could bring more equity value to the players in the long run. It’s a virtuous cycle if we can get it right.” 

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Zak is a writer at GOLF Magazine and just finished a book about the summer he spent in St. Andrews .

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PGA Tour pro explains how Zurich Classic teams happen: 'It's kinda like asking someone out on a date'

T hree sets of brothers—the Fitzpatricks, the Hojgaards and the Coodys—will tee it up at this week's Zurich Classic, making for the three most obvious teams in the PGA Tour's annual team event. But how do the rest of these partnerships come about? As Michael Kim explains, "It's kinda like asking someone out on a date."

RELATED: Our experts like this sleeper team at the Zurich Classic

The PGA Tour winner and Golf Twitter Prince to King Max Homa provided his latest great insight to life on tour on the eve of one of the most unique events of the year. Kim, who will play with K.H. Lee, described the process of tour pros linking up since the annual tour stop in New Orleans switched to the team format in 2017.

Well, for tour pros who don't have brothers who are also tour pros, that is. Have a look:

Interesting stuff, and, obviously, a great dating analogy. " Most players don’t ask someone who’s totally out of their league, unless they’re very good friends," Kim says. He also mentions these pairings are a lot more about comfort than strategy.

"It’s a fun event so most partner up with players that they’re friendly with and want to team up with," Kim continues. "Then we handle who tees off on what holes and such."

RELATED: PGA Tour pro reveals a Masters perk you didn't know about

It seems Kim gets as much of a kick out of seeing some of the teams as golf fans do.

"It’s always interesting looking at the pairings sheet to see who is paired up with who. (Usually a couple players out kick their coverage lol)"

To that last point, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention Ryan Palmer. A great player in his own right with four PGA Tour titles, Palmer has managed to play this event with four guys who have won a combined five green jackets in Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, and, this year, Zach Johnson. Palmer and Rahm won the title in 2019.

Now Palmer is obviously a tremendous guy—he's a Golf Digest Arnie Award winner after all!—but those are some amazing pulls. Good for Ryan. Hey, like with dating, if you never ask, you'll never know.

RELATED: Why is a 65-year-old playing in the Zurich Classic?

Mike Browne rises above limitations, ready to compete in G4D Tour at TPC Craig Ranch

Beyond the Ropes

Mike Browne is one of 10 players competing Monday and Tuesday at TPC Craig Ranch on the Golf 4 Disabilities (G4D) Tour. (Getty Images)

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Mike Browne tries not to think about what his life would have been like without golf. But he does know one thing.

“It was a lifesaver for me,” he says.

First, though, there was the broken leg, an injury the athletic Englishman who played football and raced dirt bikes expected to rebound from in a matter of months. But that was before a bacterial infection destroyed the muscles in Browne’s knee and he eventually had to decide to have his left leg amputated.

By the time Browne made the gut-wrenching choice, he’d had “30-odd” operations, one of which removed his knee joint. The doctors tried to fuse his tibia plateau to his femur, putting him in an ilizarov frame, which looks like a series of bicycle wheels – five in his case, circling the leg up to his groin – that were connected to the shin bone with 52 wires.

Browne, who was 33 when he was injured in 2011, wore that brace for nearly two years. Every day, he had to turn a 10-millimeter bolt a centimeter to stretch the bone.

“It wasn’t a very pleasant experience,” he says.

Not surprisingly, Browne’s physical challenges were taking a mental toll, as well. A gunner in the British Army’s Royal Artillery for 13 years when he was injured in that training exercise, Browne no longer had a job. He felt useless. The depression was overwhelming, and he tried to die by suicide.

“I was sitting on my bed for three days just crying, and I just didn't know why,” Browne says. “I'd lost so much in my life at that particular time, and I tried to jump out of a two-story window … but I couldn't get out the window because my leg couldn't fit out the window.

“Yeah, because I was in a frame, I couldn't actually physically get out the window. So, in hindsight, my leg actually did save my life as well.”

After he decided to have his leg amputated, Browne was treated at Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre, which he describes as the British equivalent of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Silver Springs, Maryland. Psychiatrists at Tedworth House helped him out of the mental abyss – and it was there that he was introduced to the game he has come to love.

“I pretty much know where it would've ended if I hadn't found something like golf,” Browne says. “But I just try and look at the positives now. And I've turned a very, very dark cloud into a very, very sunny sky, so I'm over the moon as to where it's gone.”

The 46-year-old is one of 10 players, eight men and two women, competing Monday and Tuesday at TPC Craig Ranch on the Golf 4 Disabilities (G4D) Tour, an initiative of the DP World Tour in partnership with the European Disabled Golf Association (EDGA). The series, designed to promote inclusivity in the game, is now in its third season and features G4D tournaments played on the same course in the same week as a DP World Tour event.

This week’s event at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson is the first held in conjunction with a PGA TOUR event and one of eight G4D tournaments on its 2023-24 schedule. Browne, who has won twice on the G4D Tour, including last year’s finale, is ranked seventh in the World Ranking 4 Golfers with Disability (WR4GD).

From left to right, Mike Browne (winner of the 2023 DP World G4D Tour), Rory McIlroy (winner of the 2023 DP World Tour Race to Dubai) and Nicolai Højgaard (winner of the 2023 DP World Tour Championship. (David Cannon/Getty Images)

Former DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley (L) and G4D Tour winner Mike Browne (R). (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

The time Browne spent at Headley Court was a wake-up call of perspective. There, he was treated alongside soldiers injured in combat with far more debilitating injuries than his. And when he saw a poster for the On Course Foundation, which helps military personnel rehab through golf, he finally had a way to turn his life around.

“I was seeing other lads that had been blown up and all that sort of stuff recovering so it was at that time when I thought, I'm not going to be that bad,” Browne says. “These lads and ladies, they were coming back just in pieces, and it was me seeing them that motivated me to think there's a lot worse people than me. So, it was one of them that I just sort of bucked myself up and got on with it.”

To say Browne has come a long way from those first shots he hit on the practice range in 2014 would be an understatement. At first, golf was a way to recover his social skills, which were sorely lacking after he’d spent nearly a year fighting the demons in his mind without leaving his home.

Browne says he was “useless” when he first picked up a club and made a few swings, standing awkwardly on one leg. But the sense of accomplishment he felt when that first shot went airborne, landing maybe 30 yards away, was more than enough to keep him coming back.

Within 10 months, Brown, who wears a prosthetic when he plays, was a 5 handicap. He fell in love with the process of the game and a year later, he had gotten down to scratch and turned pro. He started playing on satellite tours in the UK and Europe like Spain’s Gecko Tour against able-bodied golfers.

Mike Browne plays a shot during the during the G4D Tour Magical Kenya Open. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Browne, who estimates he plays 30 events a year, didn’t start playing disability golf until 2019. In fact, “I didn’t even know it was a thing,” he says. Tournaments on the EDGA, which has a strategic alliance with The R&A, can feature between 80-120 players. G4D events like the one at TPC Craig Ranch are a more limited field of the game’s elite adaptive golfers.

Sometimes, Browne says, it wasn’t until he swapped his trousers for shorts that his fellow competitors knew he was an amputee golfer: “You could see on their faces and it’s like, wow, he just beat me on one leg.” He hopes when others watch him, they learn not to let their limitations define them.

“If someone told me 10 years ago when I lost my leg that you're going to be a golfer, I'd probably laugh,” Browne says. “I've just said there's no way possible that I could be a golfer because I can't stand up properly and I can't swing a club.

“But if you put your mind to it and if you work hard enough – I think that's what I'd like to get the word out there – that you can do anything that you want to if you have the drive.”

Not just in golf but in life.